Sum of Our Pain
by AlexVonHamel
Summary: Robin begins to learn more about Raven and her powers as she is plagued by hellish nightmares. Soon the terrors threaten to become reality and the titans are forced to fight for their lives as they try to survive in the face of a new prophecy.
1. Clipped Wing

He studied his surroundings carefully. The full moon, high in the sky gave ample lighting to make out the street around him. Uptown, near the market district. Store signs hung out front in varying forms above the stores they described. Clothing and jewelry stores as well as a few antique shops lined this particular stretch of road. Shards of glass lay speckled across the ground in front of one of the diamond shops, the target of tonight's robbery. Flashes of fists flying and gunshots ringing out played over in his mind as he felt a distant stinging sensation in his shoulder. He brushed off the feeling as he continued to survey the road.

Next to the aforementioned shop a few police cars had parked, their lights still flashing as officers loosely secured 'Police Line' tape across the area. They'd already received the testimonies of the team and knew what had happened but they would still complete a full inventory to ensure everything found its rightful place. Continuing off to the right of the store an ambulance had arrived in the case that anyone was harmed, though thankfully no one was badly injured. Once again the dull pain began to creep up, this time becoming more sharp with time. Finally being unable to ignore it any longer he looked down at his right shoulder to find his bleeding bullet wound. 'No one was badly injured' he thought and laughed silently to himself. He'd dealt with worse and it was a small caliber gun so he wasn't worried about bleeding out. He figured he'd take a trip to the medbay at the tower after everybody went to bed. He didn't want to worry the rest of the team anyways. He rolled his shoulders, with no small amount of pain coursing through him, and his short cape overtook the small blood stain to hide it from prying eyes. Satisfied he looked back over the scene. Beastboy and Starfire were happily speaking with witnesses-turned-fans as beastboy no doubt pretended the girl's were hitting on him while Star would be too naive to get that she, indeed, was being flirted with. Shaking his head he continued searching for his remaining teammates. Surveying further he found cyborg speaking with a police officer next to the car that housed the petty thieves. He often enjoyed speaking with people older than him thanks to his mature mind and intellect, seeing him speak to the officers came as no surprise. What was confusing was the noticeable absence of the teams resident dark bird. Before he had time to contemplate her disappearance a familiar flat voice broke the silence beside him.

"So. . . Are you brooding or do just like people watching?"

The pale girl took a seat on the curb beside him. Without looking over he responded in kind.

"That depends, which one is more acceptable?"

He said half laughing as he did. Now chancing his gaze upon her he was rewarded with a short, rare smile upon her soft features. Her hair seemed to emit a mysterious light of its own under the moonlight.

"of all people, you know I've no right to judge that."

This time she turned to face him with her response, that same smile gracing her lips. He'd always appreciated her dark and dry humor, it mirrored his own and he enjoyed the small sense of comfort it gave him. She truly was the most like him out of any of the titans, even down to the dark and brooding nature. He turned back to the street as he stared off into space. A moment of silence passed between them before the young girl spoke again.

"Where did it hit?"

The question visibly confused him. 'Did she see me check it a minute ago?' He thought.

"Where did what hit?"

Because playing dumb with the empath was such a smart idea. Looking over he found her gaze on him again but this time with a 'knowing' glare. He could practically hear the unspoken 'Robin' that would have rolled expectantly from her lips.

"What?"

He said, hoping that she'd take the hint and not press further. He did not however take into account her stubbornness that rivaled and perhaps surpassed his own. Her glare stood strong as she spoke again.

"Richard."

This she spoke softly, aware of the secrecy with which he held his true name. He looked down and cursed mentally. He should have known better than to attempt to evade her. With defeat he shrugged his right shoulder. The empath softly reached a hand to pull the cape from his wound. It stuck to his suit being drenched in blood by this point. The young girl did not wince nor gag at the sight but rather concern covered her face as she inspected the wound.

"22, it didn't make it all the way through."

Her hand glowed with black power as a tiny shard of metal was quickly wrestled from his flesh to sit between her thumb and forefinger. She glanced at the offending piece of lead before she carefully placed it on the ground. She moved from her spot seated to his right to sit on her knees in front of him. As she did so she raised her hood before bringing her hands to the pained location.

"Why do you do that?"

The question caught her off guard as she looked up at her leader. She wasn't one to get confused but she clearly didn't understand what he was referring to. After a moment of silence he spoke.

"Your hood, I mean. Anytime you heal someone you put it up, why do you do that?"

The blank stare she offered seemed to be frozen on her features as she just looked on at the boy wonder, trying to understand for herself what he'd said. It was true she did always put her hood up when she was healing. 'Concentration?' She mused though she knew that wasn't the truth. She shook her head and motioned to take hold of Robin's shoulder, ignoring his question. To this he pulled his arm away from her and she glared back at him.

"Robin I need to heal you."

Robin allowed a grin to take control of his features as he responded.

"You don't get to dodge my question, Rae."

She continued to glare back at him. She knew he'd be stubborn until she gave in and frankly, with the amount of blood she could sense escaping his body she was inclined to take a hit to her ego rather than let him lose more blood.

"Fine. . . But you have to promise you'll let me heal you if I tell you."

The grin on his face turned into a victorious smirk.

"Deal."

He said with finality. He brought his shoulder forward to where it had been so she could continue tending to it, awaiting her explanation.

"So empathic healing is a little different than most other forms of magic mending."

She began. She wasn't sure how best to explain without causing at least a little bit of concern in her leader.

"When I heal I use my own power and spirit to mend the wounds, it takes a part of me to do so."

Robin nodded following her train of thought this far. He watched as she levitated a small casing of gauze from the ambulance, careful to hide her actions from being noticed.

"That's not the hard part though. As the wound mends the pain that would be experienced throughout the regular timespan it would take to heal is compounded into the few seconds of mending."

Robin's face began to show concern in the direction her words were going. As if ignoring his questioning gaze she continued to blot the blood from his uniform using the small pack of gauze.

"The pain in it of itself would be unbearable so I. . . Take it upon myself, so that the person doesn't have to experience it."

Ravens hand was inches away from his flesh about to begin its empathic healing when he seized it with his own hand.

"That's why I put up my hood. To hide the pain."

She looked into his eyes, shrouded by the thin cloth mask. She knew of their deep blue color and could imagine them gazing back into her own azure orbs.

"Raven."

He said as if about to question her further. Before he could gather his thoughts she spoke again.

"You promised."

She said plainly enough. After a moment Robin reluctantly released her wrist and her hand gently pressed against the wound. She closed her eyes as he witnessed his own pain leave him. Her face wretched in what must have been weeks worth of pain all mustered into mere moments. His hand, still raised, grasped her wrist again though this time not for deterrence. He let his hand squeeze her gently as his thumb rubbed over her bare knuckles in a vain attempt to offer comfort. The pain was evidently clear on her face, though anyone further than where he sat would surely be unable to see the expression she held under her dark hood.

While it truly lasted but a moment Robin felt as though eternities plagued him at the sight of her pain, himself being helpless to contain it. At the moment's end she brought her hand away from his shoulder and his grasp, disappearing within her cloak as she stood. She quickly turned and walked away leaving the boy wonder in awe of her power and her selflessness.

She truly had no sense of self, to a fault in some cases. His mind drifted to the countless times she had healed them all, even Beastboy on occasion. He thought of the wounds she'd healed, normally mere scrapes, cuts, and bruises. The titans all seemed to recover fairly quickly from physical ailments with the exception of himself. He was the most human out of all of them and as such he was the slowest to heal.

As he pondered he also realized that he was the one to most often receive her empathic blessing. She'd mended his broken arm the night of the motorcycle accident to only a small fracture. When he'd fallen victim to Slade's poison dust not only did she experience the pain of his battle firsthand when she entered his mind but also when she took it upon herself to heal each and every wound he'd accumulated throughout the nightmare. The pain that had coursed through the young girl was both astounding and sorrowful. No one deserved to experience such things, least of all her and especially for the pain of his own faults. Mentally he took note to never let her try to heal him again, he couldn't bare the thought of seeing her face wretch as it did so very few moments ago.

As his thoughts came to a close he watched as the titans took to the car and skies on their return home. With a sigh he stood and mounted his bike. Within moments he was headed off toward home.


	2. Midnight Nightmares

Hellfire rained over the desolate ashen planet. Each corner of the earth filled with brimstone and fiery molten rock. The air was thick with sulfur and the sky's were stained in a dark orange. Hell had come. The laughter of demons without end echoed across the dead atmosphere as the lone warrior walked along the cracked stone path. He'd found her before, he'd find her again. Each step took him deeper into the fires of the netherworld but with each footfall has pace grew quicker as too did his resolve was strengthened.

"She'll be there, she'll help fight. She has to be there."

The words replayed in his mind much like the mantra of the girl he sought. He'd witnessed unspeakable atrocities and she was the final hope. His friends had fallen, their stone skin frozen in terror as he passed them by. He could not mourn their loss, only hope that the bringer of this new world could return it.

The journey was long but quieter than before. Perhaps the lack of banter between himself and his oldest enemy had helped in that but still he pressed on. Before too long the masked man stood before the old cathedral carved into the rock. Stepping through its old arches he searched for her. The girl he sought would be young, or so he expected. No older than 8. She would don a white cloak and would easily stand out amongst the dark surroundings.

As he continued to walk forward passed the old wooden pews he found that he could barely see. He concentrated hard to ensure he did not trip or fall. He neared what would be the pulpit in the front of the room, a single step up to a raised platform, when the ground began to shake. The pews beside him began to sink into the earth before lava poured in in their place. It filled the gap but did not flow over. The fire gave light to the room and the man himself turned to stone at what he saw.

In front of him, the girl he sought was not of a child's age but held the same years on her face as he did. The more terrifying display was her position. Her body lay limp against a large wooden cross. Her wrists and hands were bound to the old wood by large nails staked through her flesh. Her feet were firmly tied to the base. Her body was cut and scarred and the markings of her heritage were burned into her skin. Blood visibly stained both the wood and the ground beneath her. She sat lifelessly with her head hung before her and her skin a deathly pale white.

"Raven!"

He shouted. He felt 6 pairs of eyes on him but before he could look everything turned black and the image slipped away.

—

Pain was something of a forte for her. Not always in causing it, though a certain green changling would certainly attest to the contrary. Indeed there was a great deal of power hidden within her that was capable of destroying the world times innumerable, but the power she often used was not completely of her demon heritage. The black magic she most often used was much more ethereal in origin. The pacifist monks of her birthplace had taught her its form.

The power she used often aided in the protection of the people she held dearest as well as the citizens of her new home. Alongside her companions she'd helped fight crime and evil for the past 3 years. On this night in particular, however, her powers served a more mundane task as part of her desire to remain in her spot on the couch.

It was some time after 2:00 am and she'd escaped her room for a cup of herbal tea in the wake of her insomnia. Ever since she'd seen the hellfire her father had reigned down on her home she had recurring nightmares of his coming. On such nights she would generally meditate for a short while before exerting her remaining physical energy in the gym where eventually exhaustion would overtake her. Tonight she decided to distract herself in a different way, instead moving to the common room and delving into a new book.

Thus, she sat on the large c-shaped couch in nothing save her normal leotard and a knit blanket over her legs. She sat, or laid really, with her head propped up by the armrest of the couch. An old book sat in her left hand as another cup of tea levitated to her right. She was enthralled in another story based in the renaissance era. She so loved the ideal of knights, wizards, and royalty. It was all so fanciful to her and the truth of its reality only served to fuel that interest.

This book in particular was not so serious, which was quite the change from her usual pick of books. It's story laid out an epic adventure filled with fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, and true love. The dark girl nearly scoffed at the last two words. She was far from naive and knew the difficulty of such an emotion, though she'd never really experienced it fully for herself. Still the idea held some intrigue and the S Morgenstern novel kept her attention as she sipped her tea.

This late at night the tower would sleep and she would be left to her own musings. While she admittedly cared for her friends, she too loved her solitude. It was part of the reason she was reading in the main room at this early hour. Her surroundings gave her the sense of comfort she enjoyed from being around her friends but her knowledge of the hour allowed her peace to continue reading unbothered. It was rare but some nights she would escape the refuge of her room for this type of distraction. One night in particular she'd actually fallen asleep on the couch out of exhaustion and awoke to find herself back in her room, tucked into her velvet sheets. She never did find out who moved her but she had her suspicions.

The sound of metal doors whizzing open pierced the veil of silence that laid heavy in the room as heavy footsteps tread the stairs then continued on to the kitchen. Raven quietly shrunk down on the couch, trying to hide herself from the eyes of whomever had entered. She was not fearful of the individual but she was unsure if she wanted to have a conversation this late at night.

She felt emotions tug at her empathy as she realized annoyance plagued this victim in throes of sleeplessness, much like her own. The strength by which she could feel these emotions all too easily gave away who was standing in the kitchen, now audibly making a cup of coffee.

"A little late for caffeine isn't it?"

Her voice chimed in its usual monotone. She nearly cursed out loud as she realized her own mouth had spoken before she'd agreed to the idea. Her caring nature was difficult to suppress, especially when such negative feelings emanated off of someone she cared for.

Raven felt as confusion and concentration began to mask the other emotions and she could feel the icy blue of his eyes, still concealed, searching the room. She propped herself up on her elbows just tall enough for the young man to see her violet hair and chakra. The emotions of confusion fell away at the sight of her and a slight feeling of comfort made its way into the picture.

'Strange'

She thought, her eyebrow unknowingly popping up. She pushed the thought away as she allowed herself to fall back on the couch to her previous position.

"Yeah, you're one to talk."

He muttered half amused and half frustrated by her comment. He knew how much she detested coffee, trying on multiple occasions to get him to try her tea. He'd never taken her up on the offer claiming that he 'wasn't a tea person'.

After setting his coffee to brew the masked man made his way around the couch to sit near the middle as he waited.

"So what are you doing up at. . ."

He turned to look over his left shoulder at the the clock that sat above the entryway.

". . . 2:34 in the morning?"

He turned back to the dark girl who'd gone back to reading her book by this point. As his gaze fell upon her she lifted the book up a little higher signifying her answer.

"What about you, boy blunder."

She said through her emotionless tone. He turned away staring off into the dark bay beyond the wall of windows.

"Just couldn't sleep."

He said, a little more quietly. His mind drifted off and Raven could feel the emotions course through him. Concern, worry, fear. . . Regret. It wasn't much like the fearless leader to harbor such feelings let alone let them fester to the surface. Something was off. She sat back up on her elbows to look at him as she articulated her next statement.

"It's more than that, isn't it?"

The words came off in a low tone, brimming with her special brand of concern. Based on the look her words had warranted, he wasn't going to crack so easily. She could feel the hesitation steaming off of him like boiling water.

"It was just a nightmare, that's all."

He so often kept to himself that he would let simple things destroy him from the inside out. The few things he did allow to be shared were divided amongst them as if each had a special talent. His moral compass was always left to be corrected by Cyborg while his over seriousness was kept in check by Beastboy. Starfire helped to remind him of his humanity but Raven. . . . She offered a different type of comfort. The other titans generally served as corrective influences while she stood as the most likeminded person on the team. She was the one he could tell anything to and she would never judge. There was a bond of trust between the two and their knowledge of each other was proof of that.

Much of Raven's life was unveiled unwillingly by her father but she allowed her walls to fall when the two were alone. Like her, he could keep a secret and she felt the same safety and comfort he felt when speaking with her. Beyond this she was allowed permission to enter Robin's mind. The sanctity of his psychological fortress filled with secrets of identity and past worries were open to her.

"A 'nightmare' wouldn't leave you shedding emotions like a stray dog shedding fur."

Her words were all knowing. It was difficult to escape her knowledge and perception.

'She'd make a fine detective'

He thought. Raven could still feel the hesitation overcoming him and the look of him showed he was nearly paralyzed on the couch. Putting down her book on the arm rest and towing her mauve knit blanket along with her she gently sat next to her leader. Looking at him she could see the fear written into his face. Beyond his mask his eyes were wide open as if to stay the terrors that plagued the dark. Awkwardly she lifted a hand and placed it on his shoulder in comfort.

The motion pulled Robin from his stupor and he looked into her worrying azure eyes.

"Robin, you can always talk to me."

His head fell in defeat. He hated to share his fears as they made him seem weak. He was their leader he was supposed to be strong but sometimes the world proved too much for his human body to handle. He nodded to her as a final way of agreeing to tell her. Robin turned his body towards her as she brought her legs up to her chest, draping her blanket around her.

"I've been having the same dream over and over again for about a month now."

He began scratching his neck as he tried to think of how to explain his dream. Raven, wishing to settle his nerves levitated his now finished coffee to her own hands before offering it to him. A small smirk played on his features as he took it and consumed a large gulp before continuing.

"It's always about the day that you. . . Well that we. . ."

He struggled to find words to describe the day.

"The end. . ."

His eyes were downcast for fear of reminding his friend of the worst day of her life. She nodded in acknowledgment of what he spoke of before prompting him to continue.

"That was a whole year ago. . . We won. Is anything different in the dream?"

Robin internally sighed. Raven was far better at compartmentalizing than he gave her credit for. The mention of the day didn't shut her down, she was on a mission to help. That same dedication was something he always respected about her.

"Sort of. . . The other titans were turned to stone and I was the only one who made it to your father's ascent. After that I went to find you like I did before."

The emotions of pain poured off his troubled mind as Raven fought to keep her own thoughts positive.

"Did you find me?"

She asked softly.

"Yeah. . . But you were. . . ."

His ungloved hand reached up to cover his face as he struggled to withstand the thought of his deceased friends. He couldn't bare to think that they could die and there would be nothing he could do. Raven reached her hand out again to touch his shoulder, as she did she began to steal his harbored feelings, easing his mind. He didn't even realize what it was she was doing until it was too late. The dream was little more than a passed thought and his fears were replaced by a calm mind. When she'd finished she brought her hand back and placed it beneath the blanket, shaking heavily. Robin now free of his pain looked over at the trembling girl as she tried to process both everything he'd told her, and now everything he'd seen. Reaching forward to the coffee table he grabbed her tea and offered it to her. She produced the same shaky hand from her blanket and took a long sip, soothing her nerves.

"Why do you do this to yourself?"

He asked. Raven thought for a moment before responding.

"I hate seeing pain in the ones I care for."

Robin looked at her with a knowing gaze. That was not the full truth and they both knew it. Raven stood and began to make her way from the room, Robin's eyes glued to her. She stopped just before leaving the room and turned back to him.

"It's also my way of atoning, for the evil inside of me."

With that she turned and left her leader to his own thoughts. He stayed in the room and finished his coffee before he left to begin his morning ritual.


	3. Gateway

Ash and soot began to taint the ground. Gold turned to orange then grey as it burned. Each moment that passed marked a thousand more graves that would never be dug. Each passing second left the floating rock known as Gül a smoldering memory of its former glory. Where golden leaves and silver bark once shone under the light of the double sun, now columns of smoke rose up from the burning corpses of the felled trees. Mixed with the taste of burning wood was the horrifying scent of flesh being boiled in the hellish cataclysm.

A deep breath drawn and exhaled slowly as if taking in the scene as something of beauty. The man stood at the peak of the golden tower, its ornate features slowly dimming with the ash that graced its surface. Screams of horror and agony echoed across the plain, the mans red eyes following each ember as it passed.

The door behind him opened and a large man stepped forward. The silver trim of his black armor shone brightly. He wore the same garb as the man before him.

"What news, brother."

The once-lone man spoke without turning to the other.

"The door is open."

4 blood red eyes narrowed with a grin appearing beneath the shadow of the black hood he wore.

"Then it has begun."

With that he turned and pushed past the other man, making his way down steps of the tower.

—

The only thing that could conceal the darkened circles beneath her eyes was the shadow of her own cloak. Hidden too were her concentrated features, her brow furrowed heavily and her eyes narrow. Metal melted into the dark barrier before her producing a quiet thud with each pellet. Each hit seemed to echo in her mind adding to the pounding headache that threatened to loose her control.

"Stay focused"

she said to herself beneath her breath as she doubled her efforts. The black barrier protruding from her palms began to grow in thickness further preventing the volley of gunfire from piercing her shield.

"How are things in the lobby?"

The man behind her spoke into the small disk in his hand.

"We got it covered but we can't get to the vault, you guys are on your own for now."

He nodded at the metal mans response before placing the communicator on his belt and turning towards the situation at hand. The two were cornered up against the back of the bank vault. They had closed the vault door to prevent the robber from escaping but when the tables turned they ended up all being locked in the small room and backed up against the wall. The scent of gunpowder stung the air while Ravens work continued to stay the onslaught.

"I can't hold this much longer Robin."

She said through gritted teeth. Her sleep-deprived state bundled with her soul projected shield taking such a beating was quickly draining what little energy she had. Still she fought to protect both herself and her leader.

"Okay, on my mark you drop the barrier, I'll make a run for. . ."

"No!"

She interrupted his thought forcefully.

"He has a gun Robin. You run at him and you'll get shot."

Robin sighed.

"Well we have to do something!"

Raven sighed with him this time. She knew they had to make a move before she was spent. If she passed out they'd both be dead.

"Alright, we'll do it your way. On my mark."

Robin mentally prepared himself not wanting to give their foe the visual cue that something was about to happen.

"3. . . . 2. . . . 1. . . . Now!"

She shouted, the barrier dropped and the bullets rained freely. The bulk of the volley was targeted at Raven, being the source of their previous protection. A few of the bullets stopped in the remaining energy that was still dissipating from the air before her but 3 others managed to make their way in, tearing through her flesh and forcing her to the floor in pain. Robin pressed forward knowing he needed to incapacitate the shooter if they were going to make it out. He charged the man with great vigor, driven forward by the fire of pain he felt emanating from his dark friend.

Raven, now on her hands and knees, kept her eyes on their attacker noticing him start to take aim on the quickly approaching boy wonder. With one hand raised she burst the lightbulb above him causing enough of a distraction for Robin to bridge the remaining distance and make contact with the robber. A blur of green, yellow, and red could be seen across the hall before the thief was on the ground unconscious and cuffed.

Raven pushed off the ground attempting to stand but once she was fully upright she stumbled backwards till her back hit the wall and she slid down it, leaving a light trail of blood against the metal surface. Robin, now unoccupied, ran to her side. Upon inspection she wasn't too gravely injured. A bullet grazed her left shoulder while another one had pierced her leg. The third bullet had managed to hit her gut, though based on the location of the bloodstain and the slowness of her bleeding, it wouldn't be fatal.

"Fuck."

She said between exasperated breaths.

"Who knew getting shot hurt so bad."

The sarcasm dripped from her tongue as she looked at Robin who returned her pained, yet sly look with a glare. He quickly produced a small bundle of bandages from his belt as he silently went to work tending to her. He cleaned the most accessible wound first and then, as he had gone to place a pad of gauze on it, he became entranced and began watching as the fibers of her muscle bridged from side to side beneath the surface of her wound. It weaved itself together as it mended the open hole and he quickly realized the bandages would be unnecessary.

"Done staring yet?"

The words shook him from his dazed state. Clearly the spectacle of her healing flesh had rendered him intensely focused oh the skin of her leg. He looked away, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, I've just never actually seen you heal like that."

Indeed he hadn't, none of the titans had. When she healed others her hand was always firmly placed over the wound and anytime she was hurt she refused to allow anyone touch her for the most part. As Robin though about it, it was surprising she had not run away from his own attempts to heal her. Something was definitely off. As he looked over her features he seemed to notice that she was paler than usual and her eyes sagged a bit as if deprived of good rest.

A smirk played against her features as his gaze was interrupted by her standing. Her wounds had healed but she still felt shaky at first, the pain from the compounded healing still present in her leg and stomach. After a moment she steadied and looked on as the locks of the large vault door began to retract before swinging open. She pulled her hood up, which had fallen when she had, as she began to walk toward the large metal man and starry-eyed girl who stood in the doorway. Robin quickly followed suite but not before stopping to stare at the bloody mark on the wall. He was astounded by her power each time it manifested and he couldn't seem to grasp at its variety of abilities. Still he managed to shake off the train of thought as he came up to his other friends.

"Did you get the other three?"

He said looking down at the unconscious man on the ground beside him.

"Yeah, we got it taken care of. Hope trigger finger here wasn't too much of a pain."

Robin looked at Raven but couldn't see her face hidden behind her hood as she responded.

"You have no idea."

With that she walked past Cyborg and on into the lobby of the bank. Robin's eyes burned holes into the her cloak as she walked away, taking note of the slightly red color that bled through part of the blue cloak. Cyborg's eye fell on Robin with an eyebrow raised.

"You okay?"

Robin frowned. He didn't understand why he was so focused on her but it seemed like she was so much more distant and pained than usual. It was off-putting. He even failed to recognize the bright green eyes that attempted to pierce his soul and gain his attention.

"I'm fine."

Robin walked past Cyborg and his bubbly girlfriend leaving them to grab the robber as he attempted to catch up the dark girl. Starfire stood with with a look of disappointment on her face as she watched him leave.

—

The only building still to stand amongst the wreckage was an old stone chapel. The silver vines that had covered its exterior now nothing more than a soot mark on its walls. Legions of dark armored soldiers stood in their formations lining the rubbled street leading to the last remnant of the once beautiful golden city. The song they sang echoed through the new world grave.

"The first of father, the sin of pride. . ."

Three hooded figures walked down the street, their heavy cloaks billowing behind them as they made their way to the last sanctuary. Each step rang out as chain mail and plate moved in unison.

"Fulfilled her calling to scorch the skies. . ."

The chant sung by thousands shook the ground beneath them. Each step bringing the trio closer to the tall double doors and each line of the chant made the blood of their insignia glow brighter.

"The witch betrayed the fathers will. . ."

The first of the three took hold of the doors swinging them open. The light from within bled into the now dark dead world brandishing the street in bright white to contrast the dark clad men.

"Now burn she must, her blood to spill!"

The three figures evaporated into the light as they stepped forward. Only a moment passed before the doors slammed shut behind them.


	4. Lucid Dreams

She hadn't slept in days, and over the course of a few weeks she'd only had about 6 hours of good sleep. It wasn't healthy and the sleeplessness was seriously waning on her appearance and sanity in equal measure. The dark circles under her eyes left her no choice but to avoid her friends and hide beneath her cloak when she was near them. She was far more secluded than she'd ever been. Even when she'd been deep in the throes of depression before the end and her prophecy she still made sure to be around her friends. That was mainly due to her knowledge that the number of tomorrows was limited. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with them.

This new string of reclusive behavior was far unlike that scenario. In this, it was brought on by a mere dream barring her from rejuvenating sleep and forcing her to hide from the eyes of her friends to keep them from concern. She was not in mortal danger, she was not going through emotional turmoil. She just couldn't sleep. She didn't want to stress her friends with her circumstance and she just found it better and easier to just avoid them altogether.

This plan had little success though as each of the titans had made at least one attempt to get her to open up. Cyborg invited her to work on his car with him, which she usually enjoyed quite a bit. She'd agreed with hope that it might take her mind off things but she ended up being so drained that she couldn't think straight and constantly made errors in her tasks. After a few prying questions from her older brother she decided it best to escape to her room.

This experience paved the way for the next titans who asked for her time. Starfires requests to go to the mall were met with a simple no at her door before it closed. Robin only managed to coax her from her room for combat training before she would slink back to the dark confines of her room. Beastboy had actually made quite the thoughtful attempt. He'd offered to go into town and go to the bookstore with her so they could talk. Of course he also asked that they could drop by the candy store which she had no desire to attend but still, she honestly contemplated accepting the offer. He'd come to her quite often as of late for advice on how to talk to Terra. It was strange that he expected her to know what to do or say but she was the only one in the tower who understood his love for the girl, despite how badly it seemed she wanted to just forget it all. Ultimately she still declined, feeling her current state of mind would only prove to hurt him or guide him in the wrong direction.

Sleeplessness from night terrors was something Raven was commonly plagued with but they would normally only last a few days when they came. This particular nightmare had persisted for almost a full month and it grew more vivid with each iteration. Where before

Her dream only consisted of the hellfire of her father's domain and 6 pairs of eyes glaring at her from the distance, it had progressed to a detailed account of the fires of hell that surrounded the core of the earth and led to a dark stone cathedral. She'd acquired part of the dream from Robin a week prior which added the terrifying image of her own flesh and blood nailed to bloody cross and hung to die. She'd tried her best to understand it but the depth of the dream began to tug at the edge of her mind. Perhaps it was more vivid because it was a vision, not a dream.

This thought troubled her even more than the dream itself. If this was a vision of the future, absolute or not, it was not very bright. She began to believe that perhaps she should begin investigating the different parts of her dream. She delved into the different pieces in hopes of discovering a deeper meaning.

The cross- the symbol of many sects of Christianity. It was something of sacred worth and it symbolized the death of the world's savior. Typically it was used to show humility towards the life and sacrifice of Christ but another important thing came to mind. Only the wholesome would remain on the cross after death. The sanctity of its symbolism would literally burn a demon and its sins until there was nothing left. To see her own body nailed to the cross meant that she was no longer branded as a demon, her own markings of the prophecy were quite literally burned from her flesh. That at least instilled some comfort in her. Perhaps her soul could still be saved from eternal damnation.

Hellfire- the fires she'd perceived were the same as the day she ended the world. This meant Trigons ascent could reoccur however not at her own hands. Her newfound holiness, though she didn't quite qualify herself as such, proved that his return would not be by her own ability. If not her own, then who?

6 pairs of eyes- she'd noticed them on multiple occasions but it took some time to recognize that 6 pairs of eyes didn't necessarily mean 6 people. The eyes glowed red like her fathers leading her to believe that they were demons themselves. No demon had the power alone to bring about the end of the world. They're power was tied to the 'God Plain'. To travel across the gateway dimension and into the mortal realm from that plain would almost completely sever the connection to that power. Her own magic was only strong in mortality because it had been trained in a gateway dimension mixed with mortal magics from earth. Whomever these 3 beings were, they carried great power and were likely the cause of the hell to come. But who were they? What power did they hold? What would drive them to end the world?

Her attempts to understand proved to bring only more questions that racked her already aching head. She tried to think of anything she could have missed when something came to mind. It was something small she'd not noticed until the last iteration of the dream a few nights ago. Upon the cross her body hung from there were inscriptions along the old wood. Much of it was hidden or distorted within her memory but perhaps those markings could bring light to the vision.

She needed to see those markings and she needed to transcribe them so as to discover their meaning. This unfortunately meant entering the terror once again. Levitating candles and a large leather bound book from her shelf to the center of her room she began to prepare her spell. She would force herself into the dream but through the spell she would be lucid. She would be capable of taking control and would have a much better recollection of what she would see.

She sat in the center of her room with the book opened before her. It's pages outlined the spell she was to perform and the circle of candles around her all lit simultaneously. She began to float as she chanted her words and her eyes went white as the room was enveloped in the black aura.

—

Millions of different thoughts flowed through the mind. Concern and confusion prevailed as the theme that pressed him forward. Over the last few weeks she'd been almost entirely absent. The times that she was around she'd been distant and cold, even to him. She had a habit of being cold and brash but this was entirely different. He'd let it be for the most part thinking she would pull through it or ask if she needed help but the sudden rush of emotions he felt through his bond had pushed him to seek her out.

He'd exited the common room with a flimsy excuse to keep Cyborg and Starfire off his case before he ascended the staircase up to the dorm level. Walking the long halls with only his thoughts and the sound of his footsteps only allowed him to feel her emotions stronger.

This was strange as well, he knew that through their bond he could feel her thoughts but he always had a hard time identifying them. She was good at masking and hiding her feelings even with the strong bond between them. In this moment he could sense her desperation as clear as day and that was not an emotion that ever came to the dark girl.

He neared her room and as he did he noticed her door was enveloped in her dark magic. He went to knock the door but as his hand should have fallen on hard metal it passed straight through it. Taken by surprise and intrigue he stepped into her quarters. The entirety of her room was coated in black magic, in the center of the room, surrounded by candles, her own body shook and contorted strangely from her position floating above the ground. His presence had not interrupted her and based on her facial expression, it had gone unnoticed as well. He quietly approached her and immediately after crossing the circle of candles, the fire they burned with climbed high to the ceiling and circled round about them. In a mixture of his own fear and confusion he reached out and placed one glove on Ravens shoulder. Just as he did the ground beneath them opened up and swallowed them both.

—

The fall was brief as they tumbled through the portal before they found themselves falling from the sky to a hellish landscape. Robin used his grappling hook to slow his descent and land on his feet as Raven floated down to stand beside him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

She shouted at him. Her brow was furrowed and she shook with rage.

"I came to check on you and then. . . Where are we?"

He looked around taking in his surroundings. They were familiar to him but not. The hot soot-covered landscape contrasted the deep red sky. As he looked around he could see the stony faces of people immortalized in horror. As he drank it in he began to realize that they were in the same place his nightmare from the week before began in. He'd not had the dream again since Raven had taken it.

"Are we in my dream?"

He asked still looking about. Raven shook her head as she looked down. She sighed heavily and began to breathe more evenly. There's was no point getting angry now.

"Sort of. It's a combination of the dream I took from you and my own nightmare."

Her gaze bore holes into the ground as she recounted every piece of the dream.

"So are we asleep? What's going on Raven?"

The questions brought her back from the thoughts as she pondered a moment to give a good answer.

"It's a spell I cast. It allows me. . . Or us, now, to be fully lucid within the dream."

Robin nodded in understanding as he brought a hand up beneath his chin. The same look of thought he always struck.

"Okay, so why are you reliving this nightmare then?"

Raven simply shook her head as she began walking away.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone who invaded my privacy."

Robin followed after her as he tried to plead his case.

"Hey, it's not my fault I phased through your door when I tried to knock!"

This statement hit her, if that truly was the case, she couldn't really blame him for checking on her. It didn't mean she wasn't still mad but at least he had a better reason than 'I have the code to your door and I'm going to force you to spend time with the team.' She continued walking without replying.

"So. . . How do we get out of here?"

He said as he caught up and walked beside her.

"We have to live out the dream."

This notion did not sit right with Robin. He knew very well what the end of the dream was and he had no desire to see it. Looking down at the girl beside him he saw the determination on her face. Their was a reason she was here, even if she wouldn't share it.

"Alright then, lets go then."

He began to jog ahead toward the old library that lead down to the depths of hell.

—

The trip itself was fairly short. No encounters with demons or other enemies. No landslides or falling stalactites. Just the two of them running and floating down the path. As they went they talked very little but one conversation did arise. Robin recounted to her the time he'd braved the same hellish depths to save her. She'd asked why he did it and he answered simply enough saying that he knew she was alive and there was no way he would leave her to die. The answer brought her a lot of comfort.

The two stood before the stone carved cathedral. It was a beautiful piece of stonework. Each edge was expertly carved and crafted and the windows, where stain glass had once filled, were still carved out as beautiful narrow slots with tall arches at the top. Robin stepped forward as he pushed the doors open. The light from the fiery sea behind them poured in but only made it so far as the second row of pews before nothing could be seen further. Still they stepped in and began their trek to what they knew would be a gruesome image. As they'd seen in iterations past, the pews sank to the floor to be replaced by magma that lit the room.

The added light shone on to show the cross that would normally bear the body of the dark girl was empty. Their eyes grew wide and their gaze fell on three statuesque knights that stood before the cross. They wore black metal armor with silver trim. Deep grey gouges from battles long past scarred the surface of the plate. Beneath the plate armor they wore grey chain mail and overtop of the chest plate they displayed a banner. The banner was white and in its center held the mark of 'Scath' inscribed in blood. The faces of the knights were hidden beneath black cloth hoods that gave way to the cloak that draped across their shoulders but beneath their spaulders. They gave off an eerie and foreboding nature, standing with large black claymores in front of them.

Robin and Raven stole a look at each other before looking back at the knights and taking a step forward. In that moment 12 red eyes lit up beneath their hoods and three dark voices pierced the silence as they spoke.

"O prótos patéras tou, I amartía tis yperifáneias,

Plisíase tin ékklisí tis na kápsei ton ouranó,

I mágissa pródose ti thélisi tou patéra,

Tóra prépei na kaíei, to aíma tou na chýnetai"

As the words filled the room they began to move drawing their swords up and pointing them directly at Raven. The look on her face was one of pure terror. She was quickly realizing how this particular dream would end. Still she knew why she was here, she needed that inscription and she needed to find out more. They began to approach her and as they did Robin stepped in front pulling two of his birdarangs into a sword like he'd done the day of the end.

"Raven run, I'll hold them off."

He said demandingly.

"I'm not running, I need to find something first. Keep them off of me."

With that robin nodded and charged the knights. As he distracted the black knights she quickly ran behind them to the cross where she found the inscriptions just as she'd recalled them. Producing the book from which she'd cast the spell she pulled out a few pieces of thin paper and a block of charcoal as she began to make rubbings of the ancient text.

Robin fought hard behind her. He was used to fighting villains and criminals who couldn't even swing a pipe right. The challenge of fencing with knights who were well trained enough to be royal guardsmen made it difficult to even parry the incoming blows. Adding this to the fact that there were three of them, it was impressive that he was holding his own. Since he'd begun the fight he'd transitioned to have his back to Raven keeping himself between her and the knights. He didn't dare look back for fear of a single blow that could smite him down.

"Done!"

She said as she closed the book and hid it within her cloak again. She turned around and watched as Robin continued fighting. Fear filled her heart but she knew the only way to end the dream and return.

"Raven run!"

He shouted at her but she did not move.

"Robin, there's only one way this dream ends. . ."

As Robin tried to understand her words one of the claymores struck the blade from his hands as another knight barred his arms to keep him from moving. He then quickly realized what she'd meant by her words.

"Dammit, no! You can't let them do this!"

He shouted.

"There's no other way. . ."

She resigned and lifted her arms up as the other two knights seized her. Each with one hand on her upper arm they lifted her and impaled her hands on the stakes already in place. She cried out in pain as Robin watched and bucked against his captor. Another stake was place at her wrist as the knights began to drive them through her soft flesh. Each hit of the hammer elicited more pain and screaming from Raven. After this was finished her feet were tied to the cross completing the bulk of the process. As they stepped away the sound and smell of burning flesh began to permeate the room. The cloth of her leotard burned away in the places of her birthmark showing the flesh where the demons mark was literally burned from her. Still she screamed in agony as the pain racked through her. Eventually the burning stopped and she hung there, barely alive. Then the knights positioned on either side of her brought their swords to the edges of her body. Without a moment's hesitation they plunged the blades deep into her sides. The scream of pain she released could have pierced the very gates of heaven and hell. It took only a moment after this before her eyes fluttered shut and everything went black.

—

Robin came to first, cradling his head in his hands as it throbbed in pain. He tried to understand and recall all that had happened but as his eyes trailed around the room to find the dark girl laying on the ground next to him, he remembered enough and moved quickly to her side.

He gently lifted her still limp body into his arms. He looked her over to guarantee that there was no bodily injury. Thankfully, he found no marks of wounds anywhere and as her eyes began to slowly blink open and look at him, he felt a new sense of peace. She hadn't died.

Her eyes were glued to him and a small smile played on her features. Then she winced in pain and closed her eyes tightly. Her hands moved to cradle the sides of her torso where he'd seen blades driven only moments ago. There were no real wounds but the pain seemed to linger on and Robin could feel it tug at the edges of their bond.

She motioned to sit up from his arms, still holding her sides. Her breathing was heavy and somewhat erratic but it slowly smoothed and slowed as the pain seemed to subside.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I just got gutted with a sword."

His frown deepened as he felt for his friend.

"And so you know, it's definitely worse than getting shot."

She looked at him with a sarcastic glare. Even in death she still found a joke to make. She was almost as bad as Beastboy sometimes, but at least her jokes had a dark and dry humor to them.

"Why did you choose to relive that? What were you looking for?"

Raven looked down at the spell book beside her.

"I relive that every time I sleep. . ."

She was going to continue and actually explain what she was after but a knock on her door cut her short. Motioning for Robin to stay there she lifted her hood and moved to her door, opening it a crack to see who it was. Starfires less than gleaming eyes stared back at her with sadness weighing her down.

"Oh friend Raven! Please have you seen Robin? He said that he would be searching for the leads in his room but he will not answer his door."

Ravens eyes darted to the side as she thought of an answer. To show her he was there with her would certainly be off putting and definitely raise questions. Instead she decided on a different course of action.

"He could have been asleep. I know sometimes he gets so involved that he ends up falling asleep on his desk. Just knock harder."

With that she closed her door and walked back to Robin who was now standing.

"Who was that?"

"Your girlfriend, you're lucky I don't hate you."

With that she transformed into her soul-self and carried them to his room. As he stumbled out of her form he looked back to ask her more questions but she quickly spoke before him.

"You've been sleeping and you didn't hear her knock earlier."

With that she again translated through the floor and made her way back to her room. Once there she moved the candles away and levitated the spell book to her hands. Opening it she found the rubbings she'd made earlier, perfectly in tact.

"Let's find out what you mean."

She said as she began levitating books and texts to her side, as well as a small laptop she'd been given. She couldn't deny the usefulness of the internet though she still trusted her books more.


	5. Gilded Trees and Fallout

Light golden leaves fluttered through the soft wind as they lit upon the glistening white marble street. Speckled within the shade of the leaves, spots of bright light glistened as a pure reflection of sunlight off of the silver barked trees. Buildings made of brilliant white metals and warm stone surrounded the square mended in beautiful modern architecture, the darkened windows giving off their own refractions of bright sunlight. The roofs gave way to the gilded trees high above the ground, giving the strange but alluring aura of being within a serene forest but still sheltered within the bustling city. The strength of two suns beat down against the trees but their shade would protect its people.

Below the forest, all manor of life was quickly moving from place to place. Men and women dressed in vibrant robes of deep reds and greens, weaved with gold and silver that shined even in the shade of the great trees. Some possessed hoods to cover their heads from the light of the suns where it peaked through while others stood tall, their bald blue heads holding the presence of pride and arrogance though notably tempered with an aura of mutual respect. Among the quiet crowds of people stood three individuals, darker than the rest. Their cloaks sat heavy on their forms and gave them an almost foreboding stature. As the commoners passed by they made haste to leave their presence. Still the three figures pressed on through the square.

At the center of the large market stood a tall fountain with cascading blue waters flowing from its edges. The corners of the square gave way to streets that lead on to other parts of the seemingly endless city and storefronts of glass and metal lined the walls. The three dark men made their way to the quietest door on the south east corner and stepped through into a small shop.

The walls of the shop gleamed a bright white that seemed to taint at the entrance of the hooded figures. Directly in front of the door stood a small desk with a man standing behind it. A slight nervousness seemed to be about him as the mysterious three approached. To his right, floating an inch from the wall, a bright display indicated differing repair jobs and their pricing's. Preparing for the impending interaction the man stood from his armless chair.

"What is it that I may do for you?"

As the voice seemed to fill the room, the lips of the blue man behind the desk did not move. The first of the hooded men stepped forward before offering a response in the same telekinetic way.

"We desire knowledge. We seek our family."

The grey eyes of the alien man seemed to squint and he furrowed his brow at the question. He was confused by the inquiry, he ran a technology repair shop and he knew nothing of other people's families. As he prepared to respond he noticed the hand of the mysterious hooded figure began to emerge from beneath the heavy cloak. As it did he took in the detail of the heavy plate gauntlet that adorned his fingers and fear began to overtake him. Before the desire to run was able to take command he found himself losing control. His mind began to be walled off from his body and a red glow blotted out his vision as he slipped into a strange unconsciousness, aware of his own voice and his mind but nothing else.

"To the north, seek out the sky caste. Jebediah will take you to the stars."

The ethereal voice echoed to the minds of the three dark figures. As the answer arrived they each turned and exited the building. Only after the door closed behind them did the red glare dissipate from the eyes of the shop keeper.

—

"Ο πρώτος του πατέρα, Η αμαρτία της υπερηφάνειας"

The strange symbols stared back into the void of darkened eyes. The pools once a light lilac in color now projected a shade of color darker than an unrefined amethyst. The life in those very eyes seemed to fade as well, collecting the sleepless hours in the bags of her eyes. Still she stared with unwavering vigor and determination.

In her life she had studied a multitude of languages and was fluent in many of them. From archaic languages of the Norse to the forefather of many other languages, Latin. Each held differing grammatical rules as well as individual meanings. A sentence made up of simple translations of the same words could mean something radically different or even make no sense at all. With this thought in mind she compared the rubbings she'd collected to languages book by book. At this point she was about ready to resign to asking the Internet for help.

The languages she'd checked had been mostly dead ones with the exception of a few others such as Mandarin and Russian. She'd moved onto comparisons with the older languages of Central Europe. After finding no similarities in German, Italian, Spanish, or Latin, she decided that she had to take a breath and relieve the stress of her studies. It had been a full day since she'd interacted with anyone and longer than that since she'd left her room. She briefly recalled the events of the evening prior. Waking up in dream with boy blunder beside her. 'My knight in shining armor'. The thought briefly crossed her mind and she felt a strange feeling fluttered within her as she fought hard to hold it down. 'Weird' she thought as she made her way down the hall towards the main room.

It was roughly 6 o'clock in the evening so either everyone would be present eating dinner together or they would have left the tower for pizza or some other fast food restaurant that would undoubtedly lead to some form of health disorder in their late 20's. Either way, based upon the emotional silence she felt coming from the room beyond the metal doors, she assumed the latter scenario was the case.

As she opened the doors she felt relief flood over her. There was no one there meaning she would not be confronted for her absence. She still refused to take chances and quickly made her way over to the kitchen where she placed her kettle on to boil and began pulling out a fresh teabag and honey placing them on the counter beside the range.

As she leaned against the counter, waiting for her water to boil she began to absentmindedly run her right hand over her left one. Her fingers lingered on two spots in particular. The center of her palm and just below the joint of her wrist. Both locations felt tender to the touch as if still healing from a long past wound.

Her eyes closed and she drifted off in her mind. The sight of her own form nailed to a cross filled her mind only to burn away and be replaced by the sight of a certain bird's eyes fearfully glued to her. She felt her body as it was raised from the ground and she could feel the burning heat of the wood seeping through her thin uniform as she was laid upon it. As the seconds ticked by she could feel her mark bare itself and scorch her flesh leaving a charred imprint. The boy wonders gaze was overcome with terror as her own pain was undoubtedly being projected to him. She felt the stinging pain of sharp stakes piercing her soft skin and soon after felt cold metal in her sides.

"Raven?"

The man before her called out.

"Raven?!"

Why were his words inquisitive and almost calm?

"Raven!"

The voice finally wrestled the girl from her mind. Her eyes shot open to find the boy wonder standing only a foot from her waiving his hand in front of her face. Seeing her eyes open he swiftly placed his hand back at his side before reaching behind her to pick up the now whistling kettle.

"Are you okay?"

He took over and began to poor and mix her tea for her, even adding the right amount of honey for her. 'Has he watched me make my tea before?' She thought but quickly shook her head and looked down. It was then she noticed that her hands were wrapped around herself, covering the spots where she'd felt the cold steel before. Immediately she removed her hands and took hold of her tea as Robin offered it to her. He did not release it immediately and Ravens gaze lifted to his eyes in slight confusion. Quickly she remembered his question and she gave her answer.

"Yeah, 'that's a lie', just thinking is all."

At that he released his grip and walked past her towards the table to sit down with his cup of coffee. Raven began to feel a silent tug against her emotions resonating from Robin. As she did she began to reach out to discover the whereabouts of her other team members. When her search came back empty she walked towards the table to sit across from Robin.

"Where is everyone?"

Her voice nearly cracked from her lack of recent speaking. Her level of exhaustion wasn't helping either. Evidently the boy detective didn't seem to notice as he offered an answer.

"Starfire was upset, so Cy and BB and her went into town to help cheer her up."

As he spoke his eyes did not leave the laptop he'd opened in front of him. Inklings of anxiety began to wash upon the proverbial emotional shore of their bond and she could tell there was something he was holding back. She continued to glare at him with a raised eyebrow, expectant of him continuing his explanation. His eyes glanced back at her, hopeful that she would let it slide. By this point he knew better than to outright lie to her, she could always see through it. When he met her hard stare all he could muster up was a simple interrogative.

"What?"

At this Raven's gaze seemed to harden even more, though he wasn't sure if that was possible.

"What happened, Robin?"

'Dammit' he thought. Why did she always have to press into everything. For someone so secretive about her own life she could really be relentless learning about others. Figuring he'd cut his losses he decided to just explain as she wanted. He closed the lid of the laptop and slid it to the side as he pulled his coffee closer.

"Last night. . . Star and I got in an argument..."

The thoughts drifted to his mind. After invading Raven's dream and being deposited back to his room Starfire had come to talk to him. His mind was still full of the events from the nightmare and he was in no mood to go to the mall or go on a date. He wanted answers almost as badly as he wanted to forget what he'd seen. He attempted to turn her away with an empty quip about being "tired" or "I'm not in the mood". At this she finally lost it, all but exploding with her volatile rage. She berated Robin on how he had been ignoring her and would rarely spend any time with her anymore. Robin, being the charming romantic that he is (not), only denied each claim, saying that she always asked for too much of his time. The shouting could have been loud enough to wake the tower were it not for the soundproofing in his room. The night ended with her storming out and Robin trying to spin a version of the situation in which he was in the right. Unfortunately for his peace of mind, he was simply in the wrong. It took him most of the night to accept it and by the time he did he was unable to sleep from the apparent guilt.

"About what?"

He looked back up and found two soft pools of amethyst eyes looking back at him. The hardness that had previously been infused with her stare had departed to be replaced with a sense of deep concern and care. It was strange how quickly she could change her tone but it was equally comforting to know that she walked the line close enough to understand it. She knew when too much was too much. She also knew when to push harder and how to get people to open up. A strange trait for the most reclusive titan.

"Our. . . Relationship. She feels like I've been ignoring her."

The words slipped out so easily he wondered why he'd even fought the accusation. He may not have been aware of his actions or their repercussions but it didn't make it any more right. He had to account for his own failings. Raven nodded at him as she contemplated her next query.

"Do you think she's right?"

Robin cringed at the question. It was one thing to admit defeat in your mind but another altogether to admit it out loud.

"I do. . ."

He looked back down at his hands, cupping the half empty coffee mug with enough force it was a wonder it hadn't shattered yet. He hated himself for his blatant disregard for her, but he also realized how at peace he felt, even despite the guilt of mistreating her. He had it in himself to recognize that he failed her and he possessed a desire to atone for it but even greater than that feeling he realized he felt more free. She always needed so much of his time and attention that he wasn't able to focus on the things that made Richard Grayson, Robin.

"But it also feels like she's suffocating me. . ."

Robin glanced back up at Raven, her face now wore an expression of confusion.

"She never just lets me be alone and when we're together we have to be talking about something. There's no peace and quiet."

Ravens confusion left her face as she certainly understood the need for personal time.

"Then maybe. . . You need to tell her that."

The words stuck to Raven's tongue as if the words shouldn't be uttered. She nearly slapped a hand over her mouth in belated dissapproval of the thought but when Robin silently nodded she felt her body relax. She didn't like the idea she was instigating but she couldn't lie to the person she respected most. Bringing the idea up to the emotional redhead would surely end in turmoil if not the death of their romantic relationship. Either way that was up to Robin now.

"Thanks Raven."

She looked to his eyes to see a grim smile on his face. He really did appreciate her words. She was always good at listening and she never offered advice unless it was called for. Something many of the titans silently appreciated. She nodded her 'you're welcome' opting to limit her speaking. A long moment passed before Robin spoke again.

"So. . . Last night. . . You said you needed to find something. What was it?"

Her mind flipped back to the events of the evening before. A brief flash of pain stung her sides before she gained control again and began to think of an answer to his question.

"Markings."

Robin raised an eyebrow, now waiting for her story to continue.

"I had noticed that the cross had markings on it, like words or phrases. I copied them down and I've been trying to find out what they mean."

Robin nodded in understanding.

"Do you know what language they are?"

"Not yet, a lot of languages have similar characters but Ill find it."

Robin once again nodded as he traced the rim of his cup in thought. Questions racked his brain but he couldn't think of a proper one to ask. He wanted to ask her if she felt the pain, if she needed help, if she was in trouble. So many things but the one that he chose was slightly less invasive.

"Do you know why this dream keeps coming back?"

He looked up at her to watch as she shook her head. Since the beginning of the new conversation she refused to look at him as if she were scarred or ashamed. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand to tell her it was okay but before he could act on the intention metal doors whizzed open to his right. As it did, a metal man, a green boy, and an orange bombshell came walking into the room. The two boys seemed tired and worn out as they immediately made their way to the couch and toppled over the back onto the cushions. The beautiful redhead, now in a better mood, happily floated over to Raven wrapping her in a backwards hug that could have killed her.

"Raven it is so very nice to see you! I do apologize for not inviting you to the night of out!"

Raven patted her offending arm with her hand as she tried to speak through her strangled vocal chords.

"It's okay star.. please let go."

She did as was asked and briefly glanced up at Robin before making an audible 'hmph' noise and turning to join the others on the couch. Robin shook his head at the gesture and looked down at his coffee mug again. He'd expected her to get petty but experiencing it was a whole different level of insult to injury. He was not going to enjoy this. His brow furrowed as he felt a strange presence on the top of his hand and upon inspection he noticed the cold pale skin of the dark girl before him rubbing calming circles into the back of his hand. He looked up at her violet eyes as they gazed, unmoving, at his own masked eyes. The look she gave offered the subliminal words of "I'm here for you". The confused look on his face, however, must have made her feel self conscious as she quickly withdrew her hand and stood. She tried to mask it but a blush began to creep up and heat the tops of her cheeks.

"I'll let you know when I've found something."

With that she turned and exited the room. It wouldn't take long for Robin, himself, to retreat to his own room and escape the constant glare of emerald green eyes.


	6. Ticket to Ride

The fierce heat of day seeped into the oil-stained dirt, bending the light just above the ground. Miles of broken metal and burnt trees scattered the clearing and the only building to offer refuge was a small, once-white building. The simple rectangular shape was made of metal walls with a single floor to ceiling height window next to the door. Within, a tall man with grayish-blue skin scavenged through the drawers behind the front desk. Different objects were flung behind him as he searched. Pencils, pens, scissors, wrenches. None seemed to grasp his attention until a loud "Aha!" Sounded through the room. His head lifted up above the counter a large smirk on his face as he held up a small glass tube with metal on either end. He observed the small object with awe in his gaze until he began to recognize reflections moving on the glass cylinder. Looking forward he noticed three figures had entered his shop and he promptly stood, shoving his newly acquired puzzle piece behind his back. At attention, he spoke to the approaching figures.

"Welcome, what can I help you with?"

The voice sounded from his mouth, the formality of telepathic speech lost to the strange man. The center figure stepped forward with their response, offered in true voice.

"Are you the one known as Jebediah?"

The blue man noticeably relaxed, his shoulders falling from their squared position and his hidden hands returning to his front as he continued to inspect his find. Only customers knew his name and while the three before him were certainly foreboding, he'd worked with shady people before. He quickly phrased his next statement.

"One and only. I assume you lot are looking to get off world, where are you headed?"

"A system in Orion-Cygnus."

The man nodded as he contemplated the trip.

"A lot of that area's unexplored. It will cost you. . ."

Before the man could finish his sentence the second of the three figures held up a large green gem which shone with its perfect cut. The mans eyes widened at the sight of it, recognizing its great worth.

"Alright, follow me."

—

"Fuck this."

A book went flying across the room nearly breaking the sound barrier before hitting he wall with a satisfying *thud*. The dark girl flung herself backwards to lay on her bed, her legs still tangled in a lotus position. She'd spent countless hours comparing dead languages to the inscriptions and she'd had no luck whatsoever. With a huff she turned her head to look at the laptop that sat on her nightstand. Up to this point she refused to utilize technology in her search as she constantly spoke out against it. She strongly believed that technology was one of the major issues of society, inciting laziness and complacency. Nevertheless she was prepared to accept defeat in the pursuit of knowledge.

Using her magic she levitated the laptop in front of her as she sat up. She simply stared at the aluminum rectangle and the logo of a partially eaten fruit for a few moments as she contemplated opening it. 'It won't do much closed I guess..' her thoughts prompted her to action. She reached out and lifted the thin screen from its place as the device lit up with life. A few quick taps and the empty search bar of Google looked her in the face. She furrowed her brow as she began to think of what to search for. Glancing to her right at the inscriptions she took note of one of the characters.

"ώ"

She sighed as she began to type on the computer.

"w with a dot above it"

She said out loud, questioning her own sanity at what she'd typed. Lo and behold as she pressed enter the screen filled with differing links describing what language it would be linked to. Latin, Spanish, Tagalog. All languages she'd compared and evidently found nothing. As she scanned the screen finally another language piqued her interest. Greek.

"Worth a shot I guess."

She briefly looked over her bookshelf before she stood and made her way to the closet, hanging her cloak on a wall hook as she went. She lacked any books on the Greek language as she'd never studied Greece, mainly for lack of interest. Her obsession with the medieval and Viking eras steered her toward Norse and English mythology while her love for the romantic renaissance drove her to learn more about Italy but she never spent time on Greece. She'd need to find a book to help her translate it and so she needed to venture into town to find said book.

She perused her wardrobe finding a plethora of uniforms and cuffed blue boots. While she may have been the dark one of the group, wearing her traditional attire would still draw attention she really did not want. Looking down in the corners of her closet she opened up a few brightly decorated boxes, Christmas gifts from a year prior. From within she pulled out a pair of dark grey denim jeans and an azure hooded sweater. With a shrug she slipped the jeans on over her leotard and donned the blue sweater. She continued to dig through the many articles of clothing she'd been gifted and never worn. Bright purple dresses and tank tops, blue shorts and a pair of yoga pants. A full bundle of socks with Beastboy's face sewn into them. She stopped and glared for a moment at the horrifying image before throwing it behind her with greater resentment than she'd thrown a pink t-shirt Starfire had given her.

Finally she found what she was looking for. A pair of distressed black leather combat boots. The boots had black soles and dark grey eyelets for the laces to weave through. As she placed the boots on her feet they reached about a third of the way up her calf.

Standing she made her way to her door stopping for a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She was hardly vain enough to spruce but she took in her image. It was always strange seeing herself in civilian clothes. She liked it because it made her feel 'normal', as if she weren't the daughter of an inter-dimensional demon. She shook her head from the thought and promptly made her way to the common room.

Beastboy and Cyborg sat on the couch playing video games on the TV, loudly shouting at each other as they bantered back and forth. Starfire sat on the back of the couch cheering on whoever was losing as she was ignored by the two oblivious teenagers. Robin sat at the table, headphones in and typing away at the keyboard of his laptop.

It had been another day and a half since she'd left her room and things seemed to still be normal. The 2 hours of 'sleep' she'd had over the past two nights only proved that this was an illusion. Her sleep was still haunted by painful nightmares, visions of a possible future, but only she knew it. Well, and Robin as well. Either way this was her issue now and she needed to deal with it.

Raven moved from her spot in the doorway to the kitchen opening the "random" drawer, finding and pocketing her library renters card. She looked back up and surveyed the room. No one had taken notice to her entrance yet. Perhaps she would be able to leave without any hinderance. She made her way back to the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She froze in place.

'Dammit'

She said internally. She knew the gloved hand belonged to her leader before he spoke.

"What are you all dressed up for?"

Raven sighed as she turned to face him.

"I can't just want to look normal?"

Robin raised an eyebrow at her, or at least raised one side of his mask. He could tell she was evading the question and he was waiting for an actual answer.

"I'm going into town and I didn't want to attract any attention."

Robin nodded in understanding, honestly somewhat confused by how forthcoming she was. Robin briefly glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the titans before looking back at Raven who was clearly annoyed by his interruption.

"Can I come with you?"

This time Raven raised a brow.

"What?"

She said simply, her monotone voice filled with a slight tinge of annoyance.

"I just need to get out of the tower for awhile. I can change into civies and meet you downstairs."

Before Raven had the opportunity to protest he'd passed her to make his way to his room. She stood for a moment wide-eyed and mouth open, confused by the spectacle of Robin looking to get away from the tower and its denizens. She briefly recalled the fight that had transpired between Robin and Starfire and decided that it must have been the catalyst for his request. Shrugging she made her way to the elevator at the end of the hall and descended.

—

"So. . ."

The two walked awkwardly together. Raven had lifted her hood to conceal her chakra and violet hair, dead giveaways to the people of the Jump, and walked with her hands clasped together in the large front pocket of her slightly oversized sweater. Beside her, Robin had decided to wear a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a red t-shirt with a black leather jacket on top, and black and white converse. To top the look off he wore a pair of curved black aviators, his spiky hair still in tact.

Robin had driven the two into town on his motorcycle, much to the protest of Raven, and had parked it in a garage near the bay in favor of walking around town. The trip had been silent enough to make even Raven feel uncomfortable. Before raven could continue her question, that she hadn't actually thought up yet, Robin interrupted.

"Have you had any luck with that inscription."

He said, a sense of awkwardness in his own voice as he spoke. Raven internally sighed in relief at the break of silence.

"Not yet, I think it may be Greek. We're headed for the library so I can grab a book to translate it."

Robin nodded. That explained her sudden desire to leave the tower. Silence ensued once again and Raven scrambled to think of a question opting for the first one that came to mind.

"So how are things with alien warrior princess?"

Each of her internal emotions screamed at and berated her for her personal question. She didn't mean to pry but she was honestly concerned for the well being of his heart. He was the one friend who really understood her and their mental connection only amplified the emotions of sadness that poured off him. Still she began to kick herself, wishing she'd not jumped so quickly into his personal matters.

"We decided to take a break. . ."

Raven was taken aback by both the statement and the fact the Robin had so quickly opened up to her.

"A break? What happened?"

All worries to the wind at this point. She figured if he didn't want to talk about it, he'd say so.

"I told her how I felt. . . And she told me that if I don't like being near her we can't be together. . ."

A moment of silence passed as Raven let the words seep in.

"Robin, that's not a break that's a full-on breakup."

Robin tilted his head down as he walked.

"I know. . ."

Raven felt her heart break a little bit. She knew how much he loved Starfire and how much she meant to him but she also knew that the very same love was more familial than romantic. She'd noticed it not long after Tokyo but decided it wasn't her place to intervene.

"I'm sorry."

The two simple words were all she could think of to provide any comfort to the young man beside her. She wanted to reach out and hug him, as much as she normally hated physical contact. She wanted to tell him it would be okay. She wanted to feel his arms wrap around her and hold her close. . . . She shook her head at the last thought, clearing her mind.

"Do you want to get some coffee while we're out?"

She asked, a feeble attempt to change the subject. Looking to her right, where he walked beside her she could see a somber smirk cover his features as he nodded to her question. She felt a smile tug at her own lips as she led the way to the nearest coffee shop.

After the brief stop for coffee, tea, and bagels the conversation between the two had slowly begun to grow into a light hearted sharing of different stories. The bulk of these stories mainly told by Robin as Raven, admittedly, didn't like to talk as much as she liked to listen. The added entertainment made for a quick walk to the library where Raven managed to find the book she needed. Shortly after they had made their way back to Robin's bike and back to the tower.

Raven swung her leg up off the seat of the bike standing beside it as Robin did the same, placing his helmet on the handlebars. He turned to her and spoke.

"Thanks.. for letting me come with you. I needed that."

Raven felt a slight warmth spread across her cheeks as she softly smiled at him.

"I'm always here Robin. If you ever need anything."

Robin returned the smile and stepped forward, quickly invading her personal space. Before she could step back and push away she felt his long arms wrap around her, pulling her to his chest. She stood for a moment in a state of panic, multiple tools in the room slowly raising with black magic before she finally decided to return the gesture, wrapping her arms around him as well. He'd grown taller in the last few years now standing tall enough that he could rest his chin on the top of her head. Her hands on his back barely reached his shoulder blades as she felt the strong, yet relaxed muscles of his back. It was strangely comforting to be there in his arms. Where normally she would feel claustrophobic and disgusted, she felt.. safe. She closed her eyes and the two stood there for a long moment, neither wanting to break the hug.

The choice was ultimately made for them as the alarm began to sound. Startling both of them. They pulled away quickly, redness marking both of their cheeks. Robin opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the ringing of his communicator. Pulling it out and opening it, cyborgs face appeared.

"Y'all gotta get up here."

Robin nodded and closed the communicator. He looked up to find Raven had already begun making her way to the elevator. Swiftly he followed and the elevator doors closed behind them as they ascended to the common room.


	7. Old Friends and New Enemies

The two casual teens swiftly entered the large room, joining the other titans waiting within. The held an aura of anticipation and anxiety, all of the dwellers so intently focused on the main screen that they took no notice of the two as they entered or their attire.

Starfire stood behind the c-shaped couch hugging herself with a look of weary concern on her face. She stared straight ahead waiting for an answer to her concern to appear on the glass wall that served as the titans main tv screen. Beastboy sat on one of the middle cushions of the couch with a similar intent but much less patience, his game controller having been angrily discarded before him onto the coffee table. His concern was tempered with his annoyance at the interruption placing a scowl on his face. Cyborg stood at the center computer console embedded in the wall of the pitted common room. He typed away at the mounted keyboard completely enveloped in his task.

The two newcomers quickly traversed the stairs into the center of the room, the aforementioned anticipation and anxiety pushing them forward. Raven lifted the hood of her navy sweater to shield her from her teams prying eyes though they took no notice. She levitated gracefully over the back of the couch taking a seat on the left side, her hands finding the sweater pocket to hide herself away as much as she could. Robin came to halt at the back of the couch leaning forward with his hands supporting his weight. He surveyed the room before focusing in on the metal man front and center.

"Cyborg, what's going on?"

Cyborg didn't bother to look up at his spiky haired leader as he responded, continuing to mash away at the mechanical keyboard of the computer terminal.

"We got a file from the Justice League. The computers working on decrypting it now."

Robin's face tensed in confusion. The Justice League rarely ever contacted the Titans, seeing them as an immature group of teenage vigilantes rather than actual heroes.

"A file? Do you know what it could be?"

Cyborg shook his head as he spoke, his eyes still trained on the computer.

"No, but they may tell us themselves. They're hailing us now."

After a few more keystrokes a black silhouette appeared on the screen. Only a single person could be seen in the image and foreboding presence given off by the broad muscular shoulders sent a shiver down everyone's spine. The digital image adjusted to accommodate the lighting of the room and a gradient of grey to black began to cascade on the chest of the dark man. Quickly the marking on his chest became discernible and the titans each took in the sight of the worlds greatest detective.

"Holy Batman, Robin."

Beastboy's astounded quip came out as a whisper but based on the slight agitation that took hold of both the man on the screen and his former sidekick, it was not as quiet as it should have been. The dark man looked around the room briefly, taking into account that all the titans were present before locking eyes with the young leader.

"Robin."

He said somewhat bitterly, his low voice dragging through the room.

"Batman."

The harsh tone cut through the otherwise quiet room, filling the air with uncomfortable history. The glares they threw at each other could have shaken fear into the greatest of warriors but only served to speak volumes of their unresolved past. Cyborg had now stepped back from the computer to join the conversation, interrupting the tense silence.

"We got your message. What's going on?"

The words shook both feuding men from their personal turmoil bringing them back to the task at hand. Batman redirected his attention to the metal man before him regarding his question for a moment before answering with one of his own.

"Have you decrypted the file yet?"

"No"

Cyborg replied shaking his head, unperturbed by the lack of an answer to his question.

"It should be finished in a few minutes."

Batman nodded.

"Good."

Once again he scanned the room from left to right taking in each Titan for a moment. His gaze crossed to the dark girl sitting on the couch and he stayed his gaze a few seconds longer before returning to face front and speak.

"The file I sent is an image we received a few hours ago. The origin of the image is unknown but the contents show an alien race we've yet to have encountered and three individuals that stand out amongst the crowd."

Each of the titans save for Robin nodded as he spoke.

"Okay, but why tell us this? If I remember correctly, the league doesn't exactly like us meddling in their cases."

Robin's voice was hard and unforgiving as he offered his piece. The league had asked for their help on very few occasions and on almost all of them the titans had been shut out soon afterwards under the guise of 'protecting' them. Robin could remember the heated exchanges between himself and Wonder Woman. The venom they'd shot at one another could have paralyzed a large green T-Rex with ease. Still the steely, emotionless gaze of the dark knight continued to glare down on him as if understanding his concern.

"That's true, but we believe this may have to do with one of you."

A small ping alerted that the computer had finished the decryption and Cyborg moved forward once again, opening the image and displaying it alongside Batman.

The new flurry of shapes and colors showed a large open town square with a blue and white fountain at its center. Members of an unknown alien race were frozen in time on their way to differing places but three dark figures stood in the distance clothed in heavy black robes. They provided a harsh contrast against the white metal buildings and the brilliant multicolored garbs of the other humanoid creatures. The titans looked on, taking in the image and trying to make out each detail. Violet eyes and masked blue ones fixed themselves upon the three men.

"Okay.. so there's three big scary dudes in hoods. What's the big deal?"

Batman's brow furrowed beneath his cowl. He was beginning to understand why people complained about the short, green boy.

"Over the last few months we've detected dimensional tremors happening across the galaxy. We were unable to track down which dimension they were coming from until we found a full breach two days ago. The breach was from the same gateway dimension as Azarath."

Each of the titans faces turned to astonishment and confusion at the idea. As far as Raven had described to them, Azarath was destroyed in the wake of Trigon's terror. The doorway that had once allowed her to return had been shut and sealed by the last of the monks, a final effort to protect the earth in the days before the prophecy was fulfilled.

"We've been able to determine that the photo was taken shortly after the anomaly and we believe that the three individuals may have traversed the dimensional rift."

Robin's features gave the impression that he was completely unfazed by the news but within the confines of his mind he began to process the information. The three men in the photo were identical to the men in Raven's nightmares. The reality of their existence meant her night terrors could actually be visions of the future. A future that did not hold much hope. He recalled the horrors he'd seen and the pain that had laid evident upon her normally calm face. He looked to Raven, expecting to find a terrified expression on her features but to his surprise she wore the same dead look he did.

"Zatanna wanted to handle this ourselves but I thought it in our best interest to reach out to you. Do you know who they are or what they may want?"

His eyes trained closely on Raven, certain the image would stir something within her. He waited for an inkling of emotion to break the surface of her cold stare but she stayed still. He failed to notice three of the titans shake their heads signifying their lack of knowledge. Then Raven shook her own head as well. A second pair of eyes had trained closely on her, the eyes of her young leader. He stared for a moment longer before shaking his own head as well, lying to his old mentor.

"Very well. If you find anything, let us know immediately. We will take care of this."

With that the connection was severed and the titans were left with the singular image on the screen. Cyborg continued to stare at the image as if searching for Waldo in a Fourth of July gun magazine while Beastboy confusedly scratched his head.

"So that was weird right?"

He said aloud looking to his teammates for answers. Cyborg shook his head as he continued his own inquisitive stare.

"Yeah.."

Cyborg scratched his neck before leaning forward to switch the screen back to its original input to which Beastboy gleamed and picked up the controller of his game. After shutting off the computer screen he turned back to look at the rest of the room as he continued speaking.

"Guess there's not much we can do right now. . ."

His eyes met each titan. Starfire nodded and turned to go back to the kitchen where a large purple glob was bubbling above the stove unchecked. Cyborg could feel his stomach flip at the sight. 'We're ordering pizza tonight' he thought to himself. Continuing his gaze he met Beastboy who completely ignored him, already enveloped in the game behind him, forgetting about the conversation that had just taken place. Next he found Robin glaring down at raven from behind his sunglasses. . . 'Sunglasses?' He thought.

He hadn't noticed him leave earlier but then again he tended to slip out of sight for hours at a time and rarely provided a reason. Still, seeing him in civilian clothing hit cyborg as strange. He followed his gaze to Raven who was also dressed in casual attire her hood masking whatever expression she held beneath it. Cyborg furrowed his brow in confusion. Something was up. Before he had a chance to speak Raven stood retreating from the two pairs of eyes burning holes into her skull.

She could feel the anger and disappointment that boiled off the boy wonders mind, scorching her own emotions as she passed by him And evading his eyes. Robin's expression of fierce disappointment turned to one of sheer shock. He wanted her to explain herself but did not, for whatever reason, recognize that the scenario he expected was not particularly 'in character' for the dark girl. It took the time for Raven to make it up the entryway stairs for him to recognize she was walking away and he swiftly followed after her. Cyborg simply scratched his head again as he let out a sigh.

"Hey dude, do you want to block half the screen all day or do you wanna get wrecked!"

Cyborg looked back to Beastboy his face in a toothy grin offering another controller to him. He smirked as he took it.

"Oh you're on grass stain!"

—

The doubles doors shut a second time as a pair of feet scuffled towards her. She knew he'd follow sooner or later, she'd just hoped it would have been the latter. He caught up with her walking pace quickly hoping for her to stop to talk with him but she continued to walk onward.

"Raven!"

She nearly shuttered at her name as it rolled off of his tongue, bitter yet sweet. She had good reason for her action, but she knew robin could be stubborn and her desire to escape the confrontation nearly drove her to escape in her astral form. She blocked the thought as he finally came to walk beside her. His voice carried a heated anger but it seemed to be tempered with care.

"Why did you lie back there?"

She continued to look forward, refusing to meet the judgement-laced gaze of her leader. She knew why she'd lied but another question tugged at her mind.

"Why did you?"

The question clearly shook him as he stopped for a moment before he continued following after her. It was true, he hadn't called her out and he hadn't told the truth himself. He very easily could have told his mentor about the nightmares and the strange hooded figures but he felt an uneasy reluctance toward doing so, as if he'd be betraying her if he had. His protective instinct seemed to have taken over in the moment.

Robin continued to think about her statement following in step with her until the two finally arrived at Ravens door and she turned to look at him. Much of the anger that had permeated his thoughts had been dispelled or at least turned inward as he chided himself for lying. Her quiet monotone voice brought him back to the present.

"Look, we don't know who they are, and we still don't really know anything. All we have is a dream and some inscriptions that I haven't been able to translate. I need to know more about what's going on. . ."

She paused watching as her words soaked in. His face had softened as he came to understand her thoughts.

"and besides, whether the league likes it or not, I'm a part of this and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let them shut you out. . ."

She didn't mean to sound so angry but a part of her couldn't help it. When she'd fled Azarath to seek the leagues help she was met with strong resistance. She asked them to help her control her powers so that she could command her own destiny, deciding her fate was not the best bargaining chip. They'd contemplated helping her but Zatanna stepped in to change their minds. She sensed her demon heritage and convinced them that she was a danger to society and not worthy of trust. She called for her to be executed or imprisoned but such harsh terms could not be met by the societal paragons of Gotham City and Metropolis. Still she was branded as a demon and turned away which shattered her self-belief and her capacity to trust others. It wasn't until she found the titans, a few months later, that she finally felt somewhat accepted. And even then, she still felt alone from time to time.

However, given the circumstances of her imminent involvement, she was far more willing to stand against the looming threat of the three inter-dimensional travelers with her close friends rather than wait to be protected by the people who had originally contemplated killing her.

Robin gave a simple nod at her sentiment. He could understand her mistrust for the league based on what little she had told him before. He also knew she was right about what would happen if she told the league the truth. He would be shut out of the situation and she would likely be taken to the watchtower. He hated to think of her or any of the titans being beyond his protection. He'd saved her from the very depths of hell but something told him that the league would not be so invested in her survival. He could practically hear the voice of his mentor telling him it wouldn't be worth the risk.

At the thought. He finally broke free from his mind looking back to the dark girl. Raven stood uncomfortably in front of her open door as she'd waited for a reaction. Their eyes met for only a moment but Raven could sense his approval, deciding to accept the soothing emotion as his response. She turned to enter her room before he found his voice again.

"Can I help with anything?"

His voice was filled with a tone of care and concern he rarely showed. As she turned to answer him she noted the kind look of his features. It took all her mental fortitude not to just stand and stare at the sight.

"No."

She offered as almost a whisper. She appreciated the offer for help but she felt as though she did not want to burden him with her worries. He nodded, his face breaking slightly to a somber expression, similar to the one he had earlier that day when they'd discussed his relationship. . . Well ex-relationship.

He turned away to walk down the hall, almost dragging his feet as he did so. He wanted to help her with all the weight she carried but he knew that he would only be able to if she asked first. She was stubborn like that. . . Like him.

Raven's heart nearly shattered at the sight of his onset depression. She also felt the reluctance of his departure through their bond. It tugged at her mind and she felt something take over, Something almost foreign to her. Without thought she stepped back to her doorway, peeking her head out to look in the direction of his shrinking silhouette.

"Robin?"

Her voice was soft and shaky like she'd never spoken to the man down the hall before. His name carried through the hall on her quiet word and he turned to look, a nervous expression embedded on her face.

"Maybe... bring us some tea?"

Robin lit up at the request internally though he only allowed a small smile to grace his features for a moment before his expression turned to confusion at the recognition of a certain word.

"Us?"

Raven's nervous look began to cross into the territory of worry at his question. Still she stood strong in her words, driven by a force she could not name.

"You wanted to help, didn't you?"

At those words Robin's smile returned ten fold as he nodded and turned to continue his venture back to the common room, newfound vigor in his step. He quickly left Raven's view and she stood completely frozen in shock. It took her a few seconds before she shook her head as she walked back into her room, a blank look on her features. She felt strange. Happy and worried at the same time but despite this she knew that the actions that she'd taken were not completely her own.

"What the hell. . ."


	8. The Pain Game

A low hum perforated the cold steel walls giving life to the machine as it soared effortlessly through the void. The once white paint that coated the interior of the ancient relic dimly reflected the singular hanging light that illuminated the small room. Four deep green cots lined the walls to either side of the heavy door, empty footlockers hidden beneath the cold wire framing. At the rooms center knelt three men, their hoods drawn over their heads and their hands palm down on the grey floor. A dark crimson circle surrounded the three as they silently sat in meditation.

The room seemed completely still as if the ship that carried them across the stars were not traveling through the bent fabric of space and time. It would only last a moment longer as an impact caused the lights to flicker and the heavy frame to shake. Another moment passed before the light was fully snuffed out to be replaced by a dim red glow that hung from under the lower wall panels bathing the walkways in an eerie crimson light that matched the metallic liquid that pooled on the ground.

The men, seemingly unperturbed by the interruption, slowly drew their meditation to a close as they righted their bodies still sitting upon their armored greaves. The metal of the door behind the leanest man began to bend apart until it fell away and three larger creatures stepped into the room drawing long beam rifles on the hooded figures.

"Do not fight and we will not harm you."

The creature that could be identified as the leader of this small squad spoke in a confident yet calm voice, trained by time and experience. The first man slowly stood from his spot and turned to his would be captor coming eye to eye with the blue creature.

Time stood still as the mercenary's hard eyes gazed into a pair of glowing red ones, a silent fire burning behind them. They held such control in them but something lay deeper. A bloody terror that was the history of the man. Evil wrought by bare hand and blade alike that ended in only torment and fear though neither emotion seemed to exist in the man who harbored and cherished such memories.

A second passed without a movement but the next gave way to a flurry of motion. A second pair of fiery red eyes opened and the mercenaries on either side of him turned their guns on themselves before pulling the trigger. Their leader's eyes opened wide in disbelief at the horror that had occurred. The fresh scent of burnt flesh lingered in the air and the man took a long deep breath as if appreciating the wretched smell. As the stale air entered the mans lungs a smile began to take his features baring the vicious maw of sharp white teeth.

The sight made the battle hardened mercenary quiver in his armor. Slowly the red glow of the mans eyes seemed to grow brighter until he could no longer see. He felt his senses retreat and his mind become caged as the will of the man before him became his own. His body turned and walked out of the room entering the hall of other foot-soldiers. Within a moment he raised his weapon and took aim on his own allies, screaming from the confines of his cage to stop.

*click*

The trigger lead made contact with the pin, completing the circuit of the beam rifle and releasing a harsh line of overheated plasma.

*click*

Another creature fell to the ground, the place where his head had once sat now a steaming hole.

*click*

The shots continued outside the door as the other two men stood, looking to their Brother.

"Shall we end them, Jacob?"

Jacob, the lean built man before them turned and raised a hand to the back wall of the room. Three large black claymores leaned against the wall and the center one began to levitate toward him until it sat firmly in his grip.

"I believe we shall."

With that he turned and exited the room, his brothers following close behind him.

—

A flurry of hair lay splayed across the pillow. The azure tint of the hood below it lost in the violet color of her hair. Frustration festered in the features of the teenage girl knitting her brow as she sighed heavily into her dark room.

It had been three hours since Robin had returned to help translate the etchings she'd acquired and even with the soothing aid of herbal tea she found herself completely annoyed. Not with the room's other occupant but more so with herself. Ever since he'd returned she found that after short spans of time her eyes would always drift to the young man and linger on his strong features.

Thankfully her antics had gone unnoticed either by the intense focus Robin had upon her laptop screen or pure luck as she was certain her wandering eyes were not very subtle. Either way his seeming aloofness to her circumstance and inner struggle was the only fleeting feeling that brought her any comfort in her situation. She had half a mind to enter Nevermore in search of the offending emotion that caused the duress to her peace but that would mean asking the boy wonder to leave which she had no intention of doing. At this point she had rationalized that she just wanted to know what the inscriptions meant and sending him away would only prolong the translation process but there was another force driving her to keep him present in her room.

"Yes!"

The confident voice brought her back from her thoughts and she sat up on her bed to look down at the spiky hair that poked up over the foot of her mattress to her left. She carefully moved a few sheets of loose paper to the side as she slid forward to sit on the edge of the bed to see the screen of the computer.

"Did you find something?"

Robin turned to look at her, beaming with pride at his own discovery. Raven's eyes trained on his own. She tried to keep her face barren and emotionless but found herself failing as she looked at him.

"Yeah, I found the last character for the inscription. . ."

He turned back to the computer as Ravens did the same. He thankfully did not notice the heat that began to gather in her cheeks. 'What the hell is going on' she thought to herself.

"I'm just finishing up the rest of the translation."

Robin typed away at the black backlit keys of her laptop for a few moments more before the text translation of the inscription appeared in full on the screen.

*The first of father, the sin of pride,

Fulfilled her calling to scorch the skies,

The witch betrayed the father's will,

Now burn she must, her blood to spill.*

Each read the lines one by one, subliminally attaching the same cadence as the prophetical words she had spoken the day she'd ended the world. A moment of silence lingered as they each processed the words and their meaning.

It didn't tell them much more than they already knew. She was born, she destroyed the world, she betrayed her father and banished him to another dimension, and the hooded men in her dreams sought to burn and kill her. Pretty straight forward. She read over the lines again.

*The first of father. . .*

'The first' she thought to herself. Did that mean she wasn't the only child of the inter dimensional demon? The idea of there being others like her was both comforting and terrifying. To think that others existed with powers as volatile as her own without the same upbringing gave her reason to believe such individuals would be far more chaotic and evil.

"Did Trigon have other children?"

Once again his voice pulled her from the cloudy enigma of her mind. Evidently he had followed the same train of thought. Raven took a few long moments before offering her simple response.

"I don't know."

Her eyes met his again for a moment, fleeting concern in his eyes as he recognized the conflict in her own. A part of her wanted there to be others, so she could claim she was not alone. The other part of her knew the repercussions of the that possible truth being the danger that may yet lurk in the world. She glanced away only to evade the emotions that flowed freely from him but found her eyes fixed upon an object that lay on the floor next to him. The Greek dictionary that she had purchase from the library lay open on the floor, the strange characters staring back at her.

'Why Greek?' She thought for a moment pulling her brow together in an inquisitive look. Her thought was cut short as the alarm began to sound flashing red lights in her otherwise dark room.

"Trouble"

They both said simultaneously, standing and exiting her room.

—

It took only a few minutes for the titans to reach their destination. The moon reflected off of the puddles of mud and water that littered dark dock street. A large decrepit warehouse shadowed the five heroes as they made their way into the building in search of their criminals.

"So. . . Do we actually know what we're looking for?"

The green boy spoke with a bit of concern and fear creeping into his voice. Clearly the shady abandoned metal district refused to let him be at ease.

"The call just said there was some abnormal activity in this area. Probably some drug runners or something."

As they crossed the two-story tall threshold of the warehouse a small light flipped up from Cyborgs shoulder to help illuminate the dark open room. He quickly trained the light on a line of plastic tables in the center of the room, stacks of white bricks covering their surfaces.

"Well there you go."

The titans gathered around the tables as Cyborg scanned a few of the packages determining their chemical buildup.

"Well it's coke alright. But who the hell is moving it?"

As if on cue a group of strong masculine figures stood at the entrance to the warehouse barring their exit. Each Titan turned to face them as a voice pierced the echoey silence.

"Wouldn't you love to know."

The voice was unmistakeable. The deep and heavy sound of the tatted man slapped a scowl to Robin's face.

"Rancid."

He muttered beneath his breath as he hunched his shoulders in anger. He may not have been arch-nemesis material but the fact that he'd managed to beat him once before never truly sat right with him. It still stood as yet another mark on his tarnished record of crime fighting.

"I'm sorry, what was that bird boy? You're gonna need to speak up!"

He shouted across he room, a large smile tugging at the muscles of his face. Starfire noticeably became more irate at the man, still defensive of the young leader that stood beside her. Robin ignored the comment as his mind switched to strategy, sizing up the opponents and devising a plan of attack. 7 men stood in the line all adorned in heavy leather jackets or vests along with blue jeans, easily identified as a biker gang. Some carried pipes or tire irons while others sported brass knuckles. As his eyes scanned up and down the kind he noticed that of the men only two of them really stood out. Rancid himself, and another man roughly the same size as Cyborg, a large black beard covering his lower features and the tan skin of his chest only obscured by a denim vest. The other 5 seemed average in size though still strong in build to keep up with the "biker" vibe no doubt. The titans behind him seemed to watch his gaze taking subtle hints at his plan before he finally shouted the command.

"Titans, Go!"

Immediately the titans and the bikers sprang into action. Robin rushed directly to Rancid, throwing punch after punch at the muscular man though he managed to dodge most of the attacks and even place some counter punches. Cyborg ran toward the towering bruiser and the two began wrestling for dominance. Despite the strength of Cyborg's circuits the biker kept up well as each tried to topple the other. Beastboy and Starfire took the attention of three of the average bikers, starbolts flying as the men chased a green cheetah across the room.

This left Raven with the last two bikers, normally not an issue for someone with powers like her own but the stress of her mind put her on edge forcing her to stay defensive. She feared that with her bubbling emotions and her sleeplessness she could easily cause serious harm if she weren't careful so she took to keeping distance between her and her enemies and throwing objects at them with her telekinesis. The tactic worked for awhile as they spent their time dodging her attacks and when they got close enough to swing she would place a barrier between them before falling through the floor to reappear elsewhere. She replicated this multiple times before one of the men shouted at her.

"Come on, bitch, quit running! "

One of them shouted. In normal circumstances the phrase wouldn't have affected her but in her weakened state of mind the word 'bitch' seemed to trigger her focus. 'Fine, I'll quit running.' She thought to herself as she planted her feet and stood her ground. She trained her eyes on the bandana wearing man who'd offered the insult. Her right hand stretched out to raise subterranean rocks from beneath the concrete flooring, forcing the offending man to jump from side to side to evade each rock as they erupted from the floor. Raven's teeth gritted together in anger as his agility allowed him to dodge the attack unscathed. She thrust her arm back down sending each of the rocks back at the man at astounding speeds. If they'd hit the man he would have been knocked unconscious for sure but alas each throw was a miss.

She felt rage bubbling within her but a cool feeling washed over her and the heat of the fight began to drain from her. It took a full 3 seconds before she realized what was happening. A hard sharp pain throbbed from the back of her head as she unwillingly fell to the floor. In her anger and haste to be rid of the insulting man she had forgotten about the other biker. Her attacker stood over her for a moment, a few drops of her own blood dripping off of the lead pipe to the ground before her face. Another moment passed as she could not move but watched as the two men began to run off in the distance. As their figures left their superimposed position she recognized the fight in the distance. Robin fought Rancid hand to hand as he had before, both now with bruises and cuts to show for their efforts. He was barely holding up one on one, the added threat of two additional men could be too much for his skills. She tried to open her mouth to shout, to warn him but she could not and she silently watched the man in the bandana tackle him to the ground. They stood around him, kicking at his downed body and beating him with the lead pipe.

"No!"

She finally shouted. The surge of pain emanating from the bond pushed her body to overcome the shock. She stood as quickly as she could though she could feel the pain in her skull crying for her to stop. The pain didn't matter, she needed to protect him. Caution to the wind she darted for the trio of men, discarding her telekinetic abilities in favor of a more personal weapon. Black talons of soul energy protruded from her hands as she neared the men.

She aimed for the man with a lead pipe first, hitting him square in the temple and forcing him to stumble before collapsing to the ground unconscious. Her left arm then swung striking the other man in the chest. She extended her soul self throwing him across the interior of the room crashing into crates on the far side. She finally turned her attention to the tattooed biker who'd cause the man on the ground before her so much pain in their past encounters. She could not withhold her own power as she lashed out punch after punch of soul enforced fury. She missed with each swing as he dodged and retreated from his footing though never removing his eyes from the dark empath. Finally as her right arm fully extended she felt a warmth envelope her whole hand. Looking she found it wrapped up in his long strong fingers. She followed the trail of his arm back to his face which sat with a satisfied smirk.

"You don't like it when someone messes with your boyfriend, do ya little bird?"

The phrase shot rage through her body as she brought her other arm to attack. As she did he ducked and she felt his shoulder drive into her gut knocking the wind out of her. In the confusion she failed to realize her boots left the ground against her volition and the world flipped in her view as her back hit the ground with an audible *thud*. She lacked the strength or coordination to move but was soon snapped back to reality as she felt the sole of his boot press against the socket of her arm, still in his grasp.

*crack*

Bone snapped and her elbow fractured out of it's socket. The sudden rush of pain caused a quick expulsion of her powers pushing Rancid away but only stumbling him back a few feet. She quickly withdrew her arm to her chest as she felt the compounding pain of the wound begin to takeover. She hadn't even recognized it but as her arm had been broken her mouth had opened in a harsh, pained scream, gathering the attention of her allies.

Beastboy and Starfire put the finishing touches on their enemies while Cyborg finally gained the upper hand. He picked up the large bearded man and threw him directly at Rancid, knocking him to the ground. It would be moments before they were all upon him but he was quick to his feet and even quicker as he grabbed Ravens hood and yanked her up to stand in front of him. She felt cold steel flush against her temple as he walked backwards with her in his choke hold.

"Keep off or your little bird gets a makeover."

Each of the titans stopped dead in their tracks and Robin sat up from his spot on the ground, blood slowly oozing from the gash above his brow and the bruises around his chest swelling from the internal bleeding. They watched in horrifying anticipation as Rancid backed his way deeper into the warehouse a black bull barrel revolver pressed hard against Raven's skull. He was surrounded with nowhere to go and the slightest movement from the titans could throw him in a panic but his movement were calculated. All in the next moment he pushed Raven forward and she stumbled to the ground, falling on her broken arm. He pulled at a black sheet revealing the gang's bikes and mounted his own before quickly speeding out of the warehouse.

"Star, tail him!"

Robin shouted from the ground, trying to stand but failing. Starfire began to approach him but the glare of determination he gave her forced her to nod before reluctantly flying away. Cyborg rushed to Robin's side helping him to stand as he clutched at his beaten chest. Beastboy ran to Raven as she shrugged his hand off her shoulder, standing on her own. She pulled her hood up to hide the excruciating pain that would be evident on her face and hid her mangled arm beneath her cloak as well to avoid questions. She suddenly felt glad she'd taken the extra time to change before the fight.

"Raven, are you okay?"

Beastboy said, heavy concern in his voice.

"Just peachy."

She said in her deadpan monotone as she brushed past him, barely touching her broken right arm against his torso and wincing as she did. Luckily he neither heard her nor saw her face as she made her way to Robin.

Her mind had become an empty void as her powers focused on mending her crippled limb. The lack of connection she felt from both her allies and more specifically from the bond with Robin made for an eerie silence within the confines of her mind. Still she needed to assess her leaders wounds. As she neared him and Cyborg, Robin tried to wave her off but she pushed past his objections placing a soft hand against his hard chest. For a brief moment they exchanged each other's pain and Robin's face contorted from the intense concentration. As quickly as she'd placed her hand she removed it turning to Cyborg.

"He has internal bleeding and I can't heal it. We need to get back to the tower."

She stated as plainly as she could walking past Beastboy yet again on her way to the T-car. All three of the boys watched her as she moved away with confusion and concern engraved into their features. After a few moments they followed, Robin leaning on Cyborg for support as he limped to the car.


	9. Dearest Sister

"Alright, that should just about do it."

With a steady hand he pierced the bare skin of his comrade with the curved needle one last time before tying off the stitch. He cut the excess thread before placing his tools down on the tray beside him.

"So.. he's gonna he okay, right?"

The comment from the green skinned boy in the seat beside the bed was layered with a sense of urgency and fear. His eyes betrayed the same emotion. Cyborg turned to him as he pulled off his gloves and threw them in a trash bin.

"Yeah, he should be. I stopped the internal bleeding and set his ribs back in place. It doesn't look pretty but he'll pull through."

Beastboy's features clearly calmed at the statement as his shoulders fell and he sighed in relief. Beside him, Raven's eyes lingered on the young leader's sleeping form. Her features were hard to determine from beneath her hood and cloak but based upon the stiffness of her shoulders she was less than comforted by the comment.

"While he's still under I need a hand popping his shoulder back in place. Rae can you give me a hand?"

The question threw her from her hidden trance and she looked up to meet eyes with the metal man. For a brief moment Cyborg was able to pierce the veil and see the emotions that ran rampant through her mind. Flashes of her own concern fleeted as she finally processed his previous statement but the looming threat of self hatred began to boil within her violet pools.

"You okay, Rae?"

She hadn't realized just how long she'd stood there returning her gaze but the moment slammed into her as a sharp stinging sensation began to resonate from her right arm.

"I need to meditate."

She said calmly enough to fool Beastboy but due to the expression that seated itself on Cyborg's face she knew she hadn't convinced him. His single brow knit itself in concern as she quickly turned tail and exited the room. She was surprised that he did not attempt to call after her but she pressed on.

"Is she okay?"

The question caught Cyborg off guard. The normally aloof shapeshifter rarely paid attention to others emotions. Cyborg's heavy sigh filled the room.

"She will be. . ."

Beastboy nodded in understanding as Cyborg leaned his weight onto his hands placed on the bed.

"What do you think is wrong?"

The care that emanated from the young Titan was almost uncharacteristic, especially being directed at the young empath he fought with so regularly. Cyborg knew he cared but it was very rare for him to show it for anyone to see. Even Raven herself had only seen his true kindness a seldom few times.

"You saw the fight, I think she blames herself for Robin getting hurt."

Beastboy nodded thinking back to the fight only a few hours ago. They'd been preoccupied with their own adversaries at the time but he remembered hearing Raven yell one distinct word, 'No'. He'd looked on for a moment to see Raven spring to life and fight in a way he'd never seen. She lunged at the bikers standing over Robin lashing out with her fists as her black energy enveloped her hands to increase their force. After that he was forced to return to his task at hand.

"Yeah. . . Did you see the way she attacked them?"

Cyborg nodded.

"I've never seen her go after someone like that. It was like she lost control."

The two stood for a long moment, staring off into space as they thought about what they'd seen. Robin stirred for a moment before settling again and Cyborg spoke.

"He's gonna come to soon, I guess you're helping me."

Cyborg sighed as his expression returned to it's normal, upbeat, personality. At his words Beastboy's features lit up with a combination of determination and fear though the latter mostly prevailed. Beastboy morphed into an octopus and held Robin in place while Cyborg forced his arm back into its socket.

*pop*

The sound reverberated loudly through the room and as it did so the green changeling quickly morphed back before sprinting to the nearest sink. Just as he reached it the water works began and his stomach was emptied into the tower's water lines. The only thing that could be heard apart from the convulsions of Beastboy's intestines was the boisterous laughter bellowing from Cyborg.

Consciousness slowly returned behind the mask.

—

It took all but a few moments for her to reach her sanctuary. The door opened at her presence and quickly shut behind her as she retreated into the confines of her safe haven. Dark velvet curtains and cold gothic art bade her 'Welcome' as she discarded her cloak with one hand and made her way to the bathroom.

The pain in the joint of her arm had not subsided and it's throbbing annoyance was quickly overriding her senses and making it difficult to even see straight. The latter becoming more evident as she stumbled through the bathroom door and leaned against the counter with her good arm. Her vision crossed and doubles appeared for a moment before returning to normal.

She'd been hurt before, plenty of times, but a broken bone was not nearly as common for her. Muscle fiber and skin are both quick to mend as they grow naturally. Bone, however, has a much slower rejuvenation process thus resulting in greater amounts of compounded agony. It was one of the reasons she refused to heal broken bones unless completely necessary. The sheer pain experienced through the process could nearly be enough to knock her unconscious. Come to think of it, she was coming dangerously close to that already.

Raven looked at herself for a long moment in the mirror. As she took in each piece of her appearance she briefly thought of the storied reasons behind each characteristic. Her eyes harbored dark circles beneath them from what felt like months of sleepless nights and haunted nightmares. Glowing red eyes stared back at her from the darkness of her eyelids even as she blinked. When she laid in bed she could feel the sharp nails press against her wrists and the blades at her sides. The vivid image played in her mind again before she forced herself to continue her self-inventory.

Her skin had lost its glow and had lightened to an almost deathly pale white, still dirtied by her ashen complexion. The night terrors May have only attacked at night but the lingering thoughts managed to creep into her daily mind and distracted her from important tasks. One such task was eating. She could not remember the last time she had actually eaten a full meal. As it was the only thing that settled her stomach contents at the moment was the herbal tea that Robin had brought her hours ago. She felt her stomach rumble in protest but she pushed the feeling away.

Her body had become even more frail than it had before. Her physique had always been quite slender but now her bone almost seemed to show through the dark fabric that covered her body. Her ribs were nearly visible and her arms looked weak and thin. Luckily her legs seemed to have fared well even with the lack of sustenance. Perhaps if they hadn't the titans would have confronted her about her health.

The heavy pang of wounded arm began to throb in her mind and she mustered her strength to stand up straight. Once successful she reached behind her back with her good arm to pull at the zipper of her leotard. The process was slow and she could feel each of the metal teeth as they were parted. But by bit she felt the cold air of her room as it lit upon her almost bare back.

The zipper stopped about the middle of her back and she brought her hand back around her front before reaching back to her right shoulder to begin peeling back her second skin. Once again, inch by inch her shoulder then bicep and forearm were bathed in the crisp air-conditioned air. She mentally chided herself for keeping her room so cold. She utilized all of her effort to ensure that she did not shiver as the following pain would be unbearable.

Eventually she freed her broken appendage and made quick work on removing the other sleeve before kicking the garment off her body. Once again she stood to take in her body now seeing the full effect of her recent malnourishment. The outlines of her ribs were visible beneath the fading lines of muscle just below where her bra ended.

Her vision followed her skin until focusing on the black and blue bruising that had formed around her elbow and down the length of her forearm. Speckles of red covered the fragile limb where blood vessels had erupted beneath the surface giving it a sickly look. Cradling her arm she ran her long slender fingers down the length of it softly probing the wound for breaks. Her elbow had been de-socketed when Rancid had twisted her arm but when he'd forced her to stand the quick motion had put it back in place. Apart from this her fingers found a split in the lower part of her forearm running the length of it. As she applied light pressure to the crevice she felt it widen ever so slightly.

Immense pain began swelling up inside her as the nerve endings sent emergency responses. Wave after agonizing wave of torment racked her senses and she felt her legs buckle beneath her. Quickly she spun around and allowed her body to slump agains the counter while she brought her knees to her chest and coddled her arm. Eyes shut tightly as she was forced to experience the immense aching.

A few minutes passed like this before she was finally able to regain her composure. Her breathing was heavy and erratic and as she opened her eyes she half expected the room to be covered in shards of broken glass and splintered wood. To her surprise she found nothing out of place. Confusion setting in she looked around the room. The Can lights above her as well as the the light above her mirror were intact, still giving off a warm glow. The mirror remained uncracked and the glass of her shower was unmarred by her powers.

Now confused by the lack of destruction she raised her good hand at the bathroom door. Focusing on the metal object she tried to project her soul to telekinetically move it. Nothing happened. She tried again. . . But nothing happened. She brought her hand back and stared at it as if it had offended her in some way.

"The hell?"

Carefully she stood and steadied herself taking extra care to ensure her arm did not brush against anything else. She then proceeded to return to her room opening the door by her good hand. She crossed her room to her bookshelf, determined to find out what was going on. Her eyes lit upon each tome and scroll before finally settling on a hardcover book with 'Obumbratio' scrawled on its spine. Out of habit she attempted to lift her right arm and was met with a sharp stinging sensation. She quickly relaxed the arm again and grabbed the book with her left hand before retreating to her bed.

Once sitting in a lotus upon her soft sheets she began to pick through the leaflet pages of the centuries-old spell-book. It took her but a few moments to find the page she desired, 'Dolor' written as the header to the page. Line after line of ancient Latin text passed her eyes until she finally found her explanation. The passage explained how pain fit in to the empathic healing process. It said that if the source of such energy were to be injured their powers would autonomously focus on healing them and, if the damage is great enough, limit their other powers. Raven let loose a loud sigh of discontentment and resignation.

"Well at least there's that. . ."

She may be wounded but at least the immense flow of emotional energy would not cause her to destroy the world a second time. Still she would not be able to fight along side the titans in her current state and she had no desire to tell them of her wound. The thought of Cyborg forcing her to sit in the medbay for God only knows how long made her shutter. 'Let's just hope there's no trouble for a bit. . .'

—

The cold grey walls of the steel corridor quickly became speckled with deep red streaks and spots. Alien screams from pain echoed across the ship as did beam fire and the sound of sharp metal cutting cleanly through armor and flesh alike. The man walked through the halls with nary a body to falter his step. Each mercenary that drew their gun upon him was quickly torn asunder by the blood stained black blade and their shots were blocked by a field of dark energy. They shouted commands and tactics but none could withstand the power of the 4 eyed man.

He neared the bridge of the ship and the mercenaries frantically shut the blast door in a last feeble attempt to stop the advance of the blood-craving man. The captain shouted for his men to ready their weapons. A moment passed before the mans blade had pierced the foot thick metal door and began to cut through it as though it were warm butter. Each of the alien warriors looked on in silent horror as the only sound that pierced the air was the squealing of metal scraping against metal. The door fell away and the mercenaries trained their weapons upon him but did not fire. The captain met eyes with man in a glare before his raised right arm fell forward to point at him.

"Fire!"

He shouted but the room was not filled with the clicking noise of completed circuits nor the fiery roar of overheated plasma. He looked from side to side at his men but they were frozen in place, a black aura surrounding them. Panic began to settle into his mind when he heard the man speak.

"You possess a fine ship, Captain."

The strong voice of the 4 eyed man resounded loudly through the room, a commanding presence from such a singular man. The captain gathered his strength in hopes that intimidation may work to deter the man.

"You'll outlay for that!"

Jacob began taking steps forward toward the visibly shaking captain and began to circle around him.

"I have a request. My brothers and I are in search of our dear Sister. I would like you to seek her out and return with your findings."

His attempt at intimidation had fallen flat on its face as it had been completely ignored. He thought for only a moment on the proposition but glowered at the task. Jacob came to stand directly in front of him, staring back into the alien man's eyes. The eerie hollow glow of his eyes began to feed visions of hellfire and damnation to the captain filling him with terror but still he made no move to agree as he stood his ground against the demon.

"A pity, I did so hope you'd help willingly."

The fire of his upper pair of eyes began to burn brighter and the red glow quickly overtook the captain's vision, commanding his body and mind.

"Go and find the gem."

The simple phrase left the mans mouth as he turned to walk out the way he'd come. The guns that had been previously trained on him lifted as his newest minion began to sire his men. A large grin lit upon the hooded man's face as he walked.

"We'll see you soon sister."


	10. Cerberus

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!"

The appendage slowly lifted from the sodium rich warm liquid.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

After the last word her lip became caught between her teeth as she strained herself to withhold additional expletives. Once her arm was fully removed from the salt bath she carefully laid it upon a towel and proceeded to dry it. Her left hand worked slowly to dab the moisture away from her wounded wing careful not to apply too much pressure to the bone.

Despite the 'soothing' effect of the soak the pain of the split bone returned and the peaceful and painless 10 minutes she'd enjoyed were erased from her memory. The sudden rush of immense agony seemed to hit her with the same force as did the original break though this time with no other means to distract her attention. She sighed loudly.

"Well that worked great."

The sarcasm dripped from her tongue like venom as she bitterly recalled the other 'remedies' she'd attempted. Alchemy, ice packs, and epsom salt baths. None of the options had done anything more than soothe the pain for a short while, though she honestly did not expect much more than that.

Her fingers began to expertly wrap gauze around her now dry forearm in a feeble attempt at keeping the flesh and bone from moving. She could feel her powers at work as they slowly filled in the split with marrow but the pain continued to grow in the absence of relaxing remedies. As she finished she cradled her arm in her lap and looked around her dark room.

It was about 2 in the morning, roughly 4 hours after the fight with Rancid and his gang. The other titans had long gone to bed and the main reason she was up was due to her recent insomnia. This coupled with the tortuous pain she was enduring made it nearly impossible to sleep.

Her room was in shambles though not as bad as when she'd had emotional outbursts in the past. A few discarded clothing items were scattered about the floor along with a few books. The sheets of her bed were wrinkled and disheveled. She hated the disarray but without her powers to fix it all she found herself simply accepting the room as it was.

She sighed as she looked down at the foot of her bed. Her eyes becoming fixated on the book she'd purchased the day before and her mind began to return to the train of thought she'd had concerning it. 'Why Greek?' She thought. While she'd never studied it she was aware of the mythology to some extent. In the Greek theology there were multiple gods that lived upon mount Olympus but there was no Devil. No demons or horrors, just Hades the God of the underworld. Even with the intimidating name his duty was peaceful and important, no different than the reaper of souls. In truth, Greek mythology held no true evil as Christianity and other faiths had. So why would the inscriptions be written in Greek?

She sighed again, recognizing that she would need to delve into the internet once more. Looking to her left she found her computer on her night stand and struggled to grab the heavy rectangle and place it in front of her. She opened the lid and immediately began typing away with her good hand.

'Greek Cults'

The phrase seemed strange in the search bar but nevertheless she pressed the enter key with expectant vigor. Quickly the screen loaded with pages and articles each holding a title to challenge the strangeness of the words she'd typed. 'Hades, God of The Underworld' mixed with 'Satan' and the 'Devil'. Some issued comparisons betwixt the deities and others claimed the implausibility of such entities.

Due to Raven's heritage she had a basic understanding of how the universe worked and while Gods and Demons were much more real than the world believed, it was not as simple as heaven and hell though both existed. Planes of existence separated by dimensional walls stemmed the tide of absolute chaos. In truth nearly every religious belief that existed upon the face of the earth held some truth. There indeed was a God who created the earth and many others who came forth to shape it. Deities of ancient Egypt and Greek mythology all the way to more modern beliefs as Christianity, Buddhism, and other religious sects all held some piece of truth. The powerful beings depicted in each were considered World Weavers, people who had gained the power and knowledge to shape the known universe.

Raven continued to read through the headings that appeared as she scrolled. None of the links seemed to provide a reasonable connection to the three men or to the Greek language until she spotted on headline of a news article from nearly 10 years prior.

'The Cult of Cerberus. Gone for Good?'

The terms 'Cult' and 'Cerberus' did not generally fit together and intrigue grabbed the better part of her mind as she clicked the link and began reading through the article.

The piece described a cult established in a countryside town in southern Greece. The cults members consisted solely of children under the age of 16 and the heads of the cult were three 6 year old boys. She did the mental math and deduced that these children would have been slightly younger than herself. She continued reading.

The cult practiced a multitude of satanic rituals much to the dismay of the local townspeople. The acts they'd performed had caused a great deal of controversy and the people believed the three young boys to be real demons after the mother they referred to only as 'The Witch'. The three were thought to be triplets due to their apparent shared age though they did not share similar features.

Local authorities refused to become involved in the situation claiming the cult to be 'Fake' and 'powerless' though the people testified to the contrary. The main point the article focused on was the sudden disappearance of the children and their mother. Thusly the cult that had followed them had disbanded and the children lost all memory of its existence. The essay gave way to speculation of their disappearance ranging from them being burned at the stake by the townsfolk to their souls being dragged down to hell for their wickedness.

All in all it was a strange tale that fit even more strangely into the situation she found herself in. Three young boys, now men, all born to the same mother. The mother was a speculated witch that practiced dark and satanic arts that could have easily summoned her father. According to the piece the children exhibited similar appearance traits as well. All this, bundled together with the Greek heritage and their aptly given nickname 'The Devil's Dog', seemed to fit the scenario almost perfectly. Still it was nothing more than speculation.

Raven sighed as she tried to present to herself a reasonable explanation. If the article provided true information then it was plausible to believe that these triplets from Greece could have fled to the God plane and returned to this dimension after 10 years. If so, and these children were her blood siblings, their obvious loyalty to her father would explain their desire to find and kill her in what must be an attempt to free her father and return him to the plane of mortality. All of this fit too perfectly for her to deny.

She allowed her body to fall backwards into the soft embrace of her bedsheets. Slowly she lowered her full weight to lay in against the mattress as she steadily breathed. Her thoughts ran wild at the thought of her possible brothers and fear stood sturdy in her mind as she pondered. A few moments passed before a knock at her door withdrew her from her thoughts.

She swiftly tilted her head to look at the clock on her nightstand as it read '2:13am'. Her brow furrowed. 'Who the hell would be up now?' She shifted her body back to a seated position.

"Who is it?"

She called from her bed, unsure if her voice carried far enough to reach the other side of the door. Her answer came swiftly as the man spoke.

"It's me."

The voice barely broke the barrier of the door but she could recognize the inflections as clear as she could perceive day. Instinctually she lifted her left arm to unlock her door but when nothing happened she suddenly became aware of her powerless state yet again. She cursed under her breath as she stood from her bed and began to walk toward the door.

As she took each step she felt a cold chill brush past her bare skin and before she reached her door she stopped to look at her mirror. Immediately she recognized why she'd felt so cold. She stood in the center of her room clad in only her black bra and bottoms. She felt herself freeze and a small amount of heat began to dust her cheeks as she recognized the awkwardness that would have ensued had she not caught herself. It took only a few extra moments to throw on her sweater and jeans from the day before and she repositioned herself at the threshold of her room. With her left hand she twisted the lock out of place and slid the door open only a sliver as to see Robin's tired face looking back at her.

"Hey."

His voice was soft and quiet, mindful of the towers other inhabitants.

"Why are you up? You should be resting."

Her voice was stern yet level as she spoke, well beyond tired and trying her best to hide her irritation.

"I wanted to rest in my room and I thought I'd check up on you on the way."

Raven's brow knit itself in frustration, her facade giving way to annoyance. She did not have the mental patience to deal with his babysitting.

"At 2 in the morning? Did it occur to you that I might be asleep?"

Her voice was more unsteady than before, the long night taking its toll on her control. Robin rubbed the back of his neck nervously at her statement and tone.

"I could kinda sense that you weren't."

At this comment Raven's eyes widened a bit. In the absence of her powers she'd forgotten that their bond may still remain in tact. As such there was no telling what emotions she was unable to hide from him. The whole idea put her on edge and she looked away from the young man finding focus on the trim of the metal door.

"I don't need to be 'checked up on."

She said in finality as she began to shut her door. A bare hand stopped its motion before it could fully close and without her powers, Raven had no ability to win the fight against his strength. Taking her loss she retreated back into her room, carefully surveying the scene for anything that could give away her injury. Robin tentatively opened the door wider as he entered, slightly confused at the sudden vote of approval for his entrance.

"Is everything okay Raven? I mean.. the fight. I saw a bit of it but the others said you kinda lost it. . ."

Raven's quick search returned nothing suspicious as she traversed her jagged red rug and promptly turned around to sit on the edge of her bed as Robin followed the same path. As he came to stand directly in front of her his question finally registered and she scrambled to think of an answer.

"I don't know. . . I guess it was just instinct. . ."

She said quickly with an uneven voice as if trying desperately to defend herself. She'd even ended what was supposed to be a statement with a slight raise in her pitch, questioning the words herself. She immediately regretted it as she witnessed the scrutiny that dawned Robin's, still masked, face.

"Instinct?"

He said, prompting further information. They both knew that instinct wasn't something that Raven was allowed to experience what with her emotion driven powers. She had to be in control at all times and to allow such a basic desire to take control would mean releasing it all. But she hadn't lied to him either. Instinct drove her to fight the way she did. She'd felt his pain and she'd blamed herself. The looming self-disappointment had pushed her to fight in the most effective way she knew how and she threw her own safety to the wind to protect him. She sighed again before she reconstructed her answer.

"The bond we share.. I could feel you when you were hurt and it pushed my instincts to take over. I lost control and I let my powers guide me. It was risky and someone could have gotten seriously hurt. I'm sorry."

Raven looked down, shame for the reckless use of her powers finally setting in hours after the fight was won. She'd been on edge thanks to her sleepless nights and painfully nightmares but perhaps if she'd just forced herself to focus harder then maybe she wouldn't have allowed herself to be tricked by the bikers. If she'd been able to handle them by herself then they wouldn't have been able to team up on Robin. Her mind flashed back to Cyborgs steady hands working carefully in the cavity of his chest to seal the internal wounds caused by his fractured ribs. The thought made her shudder and the knowledge that she'd been helpless at that point to heal him only made it worse. Her mind began to delve deeper into the choices she'd made but a hand placed on her forearm tore her away from her thoughts and snapped her eyes wide open.

"You did what you could Raven, it's okay."

His voice was sweet and caring but in the moment she could think of nothing but the warmth that emanated from his hand around her wounded bone. A moment passed in silence before Robin, in an attempt to instill his comforting presence, gave a light squeeze to her arm.

The sudden rush of pain was immediate and it hit her like a tidal wave. Her nerve endings lit up screaming to protect herself to which her body immediately reacted pulling her arm away from his light grip and into her lap. The speed of the movement and its resulting whiplash only compounded the pain well above what she had already felt. It took all of her mental capacity not to scream or yelp. Instead she grit her teeth and furrowed her brow as she continued to look further away from the boy wonder beside her.

Her attempts at hiding her circumstance were feeble as Robin began to feel her unbridled emotions course over their bond. The pain he sensed only served to increase his worry as he turned to her full on looking to the arm she now cradled in her lap before letting to look at her face.

"Raven?!"

The name fit perfectly on his tongue as he spoke. Fear and care in equal amounts laced the syllables as he recalled the last time he'd felt such pain over their bond. The day of the end when the moon had eclipsed the sun he'd felt her flesh burn as the markings of her birth began to glow with hellfire. The searing pain that etched across her skin was nearly unbearable.

Raven continued to look away, visibly trembling as her body processed the immense sensations. Robin slowly reached out and took hold of her right hand lightly guiding the appendage away from her body back into his grasp as he cradled in tenderly. Much to his surprise she did not fight him, perhaps out of fear for causing more pain or out of trust in him. He held her right hand with his as he began to carefully tug at the fabric of her sweater with his left hand. He revealed the shoddily wrapped gauze that covered the length of her forearm as he slid the loose sleeve up towards her elbow. He was beginning to speculate the source of her ailment remembering a cracking noise that had occurred during the fight. Gently he began to peel back the loosely wrapped gauze. As the bandages fell away her pale white skin shone in the dim moonlight but portions of it gave way to deep browns, reds, and blues that scattered the wounded wing. Tell tale signs of a broken and battered bone that he'd seen far too many times before.

"Raven, your arm is broken."

The words stood more as a rhetorical statement to himself as he carefully studied the bruising. Long and calloused fingers began to lightly trace the markings in an attempt to soothe the pain she still visibly felt. Raven's felt her muscles slowly relax at the small circles his fingers weaved into her bare skin. The warmth of his fingertips left a trail of goosebumps to gather on her arm and she could feel herself begin to calm. She peacefully resigned to the gentle feeling and she heard something within her shriek but with her preoccupied powers she had no means to determine it's source. A few silent moments passed like this before he spoke again.

"We need to get you to the med bay so Cyborg can take a look at this."

All the peace that he'd successfully driven into her was immediately ripped away as panic took over. Robin loosened his grip and as he went to pull his hand away it was caught by her left one. Time stopped in that moment with Robin's eyes locked on her small hand and her own gaze continued to fall upon her black carpeted floor. She felt her lips faintly form the shape to say "no". Instinct once again had taken over and her need for the soothing touch his fingers provided seemed greater than she could have ever imagined. She'd never imagined his touch before but she could recall the desire for physical interaction every once in awhile. Normally after a close quarters encounter with Beastboy the idea would be swept away but his touch was. . . Different. Serene and sincere when he'd stroked the hardened pulsing muscles of her arm.

A moment passed and she could feel his gaze as it turned in full upon her. It took all of her mental might to look into his masked eyes, terrified of what the blue orbs behind it might hold. To her surprise his face did not hold disgust or anger but rather it retained the same soft look he'd had moments ago, his concern evident in his features.

"I just don't want anyone else to worry."

It was a weak explanation but it was the truth. When someone got hurt the titans would bend over backwards to try and help. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if it didn't mean unrelenting attention and overly cautiousness. Raven was not one with much patience for such things.

Robin nodded to her but still seemed expectant for more of an answer.

"And besides, my powers are already healing it. I just need some time."

Her eyes fell back down to her arm and she nearly froze a the sight of her hands in his. Robin's hands in her own. A deep blush crossed her cheeks and she pulled away and turned her body to the side, escaping the warm comforts of his skin. She could feel the immediate regret of the action but she know she had to. If Raven's powers had been working perhaps she would have felt the tinge of sadness that crossed Robin's mind as she moved away. He quickly replaced the thought as he spoke.

"The team can be a bit annoying..."

He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, a nervous tic Raven was beginning to recognize.

"Is there anything that **I** can do for you?"

Raven thought for only a moment before she opened her mouth to say 'no'. She froze before speaking just a few seconds longer as she continued to think. She turned back to look at him before she finally allowed words to pass her lips.

"There is something."

Robin nodded waiting for her elaboration.

"I need you look into something for me."

She'd been able to uncover a theory about the three hooded men but if anyone in the tower was good at research, it was Robin. She reached behind her with her good arm and pulled her laptop around to face them. She clicked a few times to wake the screen then promptly scrolled back to the top of the article she'd been reading. Once there she turned the monitor for Robin to see.

"I need you to find out everything you can about 'The Cult of Cerberus'."


	11. Anticipation

*knock* *knock* *knock*

The dark hall stood still in the silence.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

The soft rapping against the door echoed against the grey walls of the still-sleeping tower. A moment later the door slid open an inch and a pale violet eye peered back through the opening. As it took in the sight it widened slightly and then disappeared as the heavy metal door slid to open fully and the young man entered.

"It's 4 in the morning."

Her voice drawled out, tired an uneven.

"I know. I wanted to talk to you before the others woke up."

She nodded though obviously still annoyed as she retreated further into her room to sit upon the edge of her bed.

"And it didn't occur to you that I might still be sleeping?"

He followed her further into the room and scoffed a bit as he stopped in front of her and folded his arms.

"Based on those dark circles beneath your eyes I'd guess that you weren't."

He smiled a sad smile as she flashed the same expression for a moment before looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry. I haven't been able to sleep either"

He took a seat beside her on her bed placing a hand on her leg and giving a comforting squeeze. The feeling sent strange shivers through her nerve endings but she shrugged it off and quickly moved away to sit further onto her bed as she tangled her legs into a lotus.

"So are you just here to tell me how shitty I look or..."

Her eyes raised up to meet his gaze, a cool facade of control taking her features and hiding the emotions that lay beneath. He froze for a moment recognizing the insensitivity of his words and scrambled to find the proper phrase to save himself.

"I didn't mean that! You look fine. . . I mean good.. I mean. . ."

A blush quickly dusted his cheeks. In the embarrassment of his own words he failed to notice a matching shade of red begin to color her pale face.

"Stop."

He shut his mouth immediately.

"I know what you meant. Why are you here?"

The heat in his cheeks began to dissipate and he continued with the reason for his visit.

"I looked into that Cerberus group like you asked me to. I wasn't able to find much more than you did but I did dig up a contact in the area that claims to remember some of what happened."

Raven nodded understanding.

"What did they say?"

Robin shook his head.

"That's the thing, he wouldn't. He said he'll only discuss it in person."

Raven sighed as she began to realize the direction of his words.

"Of course. So what are we going to do? We can't exactly leave without the others knowing and I'm not really capable of teleportation right now."

She gestured to her wounded wing before wincing at the pain again. Robin flashed a concerned look her way before he replied.

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to figure out. So I think we just tell them the truth."

She glared daggers back at him, a concerned expression present on her soft features. Robin quickly continued to speak.

"I'm following a lead for a case. I need someone with me, but I have to be discreet so it has to be you."

Raven thought for a moment before slowly nodding as the sharpness in her eyes faded. Robin held a proud grin on his face as if he'd just figured out one of life's great mysteries. Successfully avoiding death at the hands of the young empath was a plus too.

"Alright, as long as you do the talking. When are we leaving?"

Robin stood from his spot at the edge of the bed before turning fully to face her.

"Today. In a few hours. I wasn't joking about being discreet either, this guy seems super. . . superstitious. . . We'll need to try and look as normal as possible."

Raven scoffed as she stood from the bed. Robin began walking to the door with Raven close behind him.

"What, the guy's not into capes and spandex?"

Robin laughed.

"No, I don't think so. I guess with everything their town went through they're kind of afraid of anything 'abnormal'."

Raven nodded, content with the reasoning. They stopped at her door as Robin turned to face her.

"That means no cloak."

Raven looked up at him, subliminally noting the slight height difference. She offered an annoyed look. The hood of her cloak offered her a great deal of comfort and protection from the scrutiny of others.

"Can I wear a hoodie?"

Robin sighed.

"Yes, but you can't keep the hood up the whole time. Something tells me that will rub these people the wrong way."

Raven rolled her eyes before they settled back on the hollow whites of his mask.

"That means no mask either."

Robin nodded.

"Or sunglasses indoors."

With that Robin's confident grin began to sour into a similar face that donned her features at the mention of her cloak. While she could not feel the emotion, she could tell that his feelings were pouring off him. His eyes narrowed for a moment before they softened and his expression turned to one of sorrow.

"Robin.."

She said softly, trying to offer comfort in the only other way she could. She brought her left hand up as if to reach out but she paused. He lifted the left side of his mouth slightly, presenting a halfway smile.

"Sorry, I just have a hard time being. . ."

"Richard?"

Raven finished his sentence.

"Yeah.."

He looked down with clear dejection. The name brought back memories filled with open wounds. It had been years since he'd gone by his real name, perhaps as a means to run away from the years of time spent under the wing of what should have been his father. An ember glowed a little brighter within him.

The image of a grand entryway came across his eyes as he blinked. He recalled the warmth of the wood, the kindness of the older man who worked there, and the cold shell of a man who called the mansion home. His blood boiled at the thought of his pseudo-father-figure.

He fought within his mind to find the memories of his blood, his true father. That kind and peaceful smile filled with love and care. Then that nightmare, the rope as it snapped and the terrified screams as they fell. He shuttered at the thought.

Finally he could see the eyes of his mentor staring back at him. Cold and lifeless as he chided him. A wrong move, a missed opportunity, a civilian hurt. No matter the mistake he would not relent in his scolding. The very image of his face brought heat to burn his skin.

Cold.

Suddenly he felt the heat that had threatened to consume him vanish. He opened his eyes, not realizing they had been closed. His eyes met the concerned stare of beautiful amethyst irises.

The cold lingered and began to chill his entire body. He trailed his eyes down to his right side to find her smooth, slender fingers grasping at his forearm just above his gloves. He could feel the cool chill course through him, calming his warring mind.

"Robin?"

She said softly again. Her soothing, low voice further calming his mind as he gained back control, but he still could not speak. He needed that touch, the coolness of her calm soul.

It took a moment and he wasn't sure how it happened but within the blur of the next few seconds Raven had one arm around his torso with the other tucked safely between them against her stomach. Robin had one hand on the small of her back gently pressing her to him while the other cradled her head at the base of the neck. She laid her head against his shoulder and he leaned into the embrace relishing the feeling of her small body against him, offering that soothing cool touch he so desperately needed.

Raven fought to stay a gasp from escaping her as they'd quickly come together. As she felt the warmth of his arms around her she could not escape, and strangely, she did not want to. The familiar feeling of safety encompassed her. Nothing could harm her so long as she stayed there. She nuzzled her head ever so slightly into his shoulder.

The two stood still a few minutes, lost in time, before Raven slowly stepped away, once again noting the warmth that left her and wishing she'd let the moment last a moment longer. She shook her head as a blush began to creep up on her cheeks.

"I need to get ready."

Robin, in a complete stupor, shook his head before nodding while sheepishly scratching at the nape of his neck. Raven smiled a little as she witnessed his nervous tic.

"Yeah, I'll go get ready to tell the others.."

He spoke quickly as he turned and left her room. The door shut behind him leaving Raven to stand by herself. Her eyes lingered on the door still trying to understand what she'd felt and what had happened. Once again she shook her head before retreating to her closet to pack.

—

The doors opened and warm daylight spilled into the hallway as he stepped into the room. A yawn escaped his lips as he stretched his arms as far out as he could.

"Morning, grass stain."

The words brought his attention to the kitchen where the large metal man stood with a perfectly sized and creased chefs hat atop his head.

"Want some grub?"

He held up a pan which he quickly recognized was filled with a stack of pancakes. His mouth was open in and instant and salivating at the thought of the fluffy breakfast food.

"Yes please!"

He yelled as he made a beeline to the kitchen to grab his plate. He stacked an obscene amount of pancakes onto his plate before his whole head morphed into an alligator as he ate it, plate and all.

Cyborg ate a similar stack but did so by jamming his face full of food with a fork and knife. Within seconds the kitchen was once again devoid of food.

As if on cue the towers resident alien princess floated into the room, opening the fridge to grab a bottle of mustard and flew to the table. The disturbing sound of the yellow condiment being slurped filled the room.

The ambience continued on in this way for a few more minutes, ignoring the dark girl on the ground in front of the couch. She sat leaned up against the seat with a book in her hands. Her eyes flitted across the page over and over again, unable to grasp at the words as she was too busy trying to wrap her un-aided mind around past events.

As nice as it was to be unburdened by her active emotions it made it difficult to completely digest her feelings. She thought perhaps it was how most normal people felt when confronted with such situations.

Her mind raced and the only thing that could draw her from her thoughts was the sound of heavy steel toed boots hitting the ground as the common room doors slid closed. She looked over her right shoulder, forgetting that she could not see over the couch from her position. She made to move but thought better of it and stayed in her spot.

"Yo rob, what's with the bag?"

A booming voice bellowed out filling the room.

"Another trip?"

She couldn't see the scene play out but she knew he nodded simply to his question.

"Magnificent, where is it that you will be going?"

Starfire chimed in though her voice was not nearly as bubbly as normal. Despite being the instigator of their split, Raven had noticed that she was still slightly bitter.

"Greece."

An arrangement of ooo's and ahh's quickly followed before a younger voice chimed in.

"Man, why don't we ever get to go to the cool places?!"

A headache began to form in the back of Raven's head.

"Man, we went to Tokyo like, less than a year ago!"

Beastboy made an audible 'hmpf' aptly portraying both his opinion and his childishness. To think he once asked her to be called 'Beast Man'. A small smile threatened to overtake her features but the thought of a wild blonde quickly staunched out the rampant emotion.

"Cyborgs right, it's not been that long since we made a big trip, not to mention our time abroad fighting the brotherhood of evil."

Raven could imagine the disappointed look on his face while both Robin and Cyborg glared at him.

"Besides I'm following a lead and I need to be as subtle as possible. No offense Beastboy but, you're green."

Finally Raven decided it was inconspicuous for her to join the group now as she stood and rounded the couch before passing her friends to make a pot of tea. Just as she imagined, a look of disappointment and slight annoyance was seated on Beastboy's face while Robin and Cyborg continued their exchange.

"I will need someone to watch my back while I'm there so. . ."

Cyborg and Starfire looked on at him with anticipation and expectation.

"Raven?"

The two sighed as they turned to look at Raven. She'd been listening but found herself half-dazed, staring directly at the steel kettle as it began to heat up. Recognizing her name had been called she looked over to Robin past the jealous glares of her teammates.

"What?"

She asked, pretending not to know.

"You're coming with me to Greece, you're the only other Titan that can keep a low profile."

Raven glanced at each of her teammates. One was half metal, one was completely green, and the other one might as well have had 'alien' written on her forehead. She looked back to Robin who gave her a knowing stare.

"Swell."

She let out in the flattest and emotionless voice she could before turning to her now whistling kettle.

"Great. Go pack up, we're leaving in 10."

Raven sighed audibly as she took her cup of tea in her left hand and made her way past her teammates toward the common room door. She bumped her right arm into Beastboy on accident as she passed and had to muster all of strength not to yelp in pain. As the doors closed behind her she felt her pace pick up ever so slightly. Was she excited to go? To be away from the rest of the team? To be just the two of them? She shook her head violently to break away from her train of thought.

'It's a damn good thing passion isn't hearing any of this.'

She thought to her self as she rounded the corner and disappeared into her room.


	12. Chilling Nights to Come

Streams of green and blue light flashed across glass, refracting in each direction and glossing over the fearful green eyes of the young alien man. The silver sheen of the watchtower filled the open void as three large battleships fought against it. Green suited men darted around each as they sought to overthrow it, caught in the midst of battle.

The young man knew now, that his passengers could be no mere travelers, but war bringers. He nearly jumped at the sound of footsteps behind him but he kept his ground, turning to fact the three men.

"We're here."

He said as plainly as he could, fighting to mask his emotion. A smile appeared on the first man's face.

"Good. Take us down."

He nodded at the command taking his seat as he guided the small freighter down to the earth. The ship skidded across the thick atmosphere a few times before finally breaking through and plunging through the stratosphere. Heavy clouds sat thick upon the sky as Jebediah skillfully steered through the mist and down through the fog that lay beneath before finding a place to rest in the midst of a large grass clearing.

As the ship gently touched down on the soft ground. The grass tipped with frost and covered in patches of snow. As the hatch opened and the walkway extended the three brothers were quick to make their way to the ground. As the first sunk his boots into the earth he took in a deep breath.

"As wretched as the day we left."

He spoke with disdain.

"I can't wait to smell the burning flesh."

Another brother spoke earning a grin on each of their faces. A clicking sound caught their attention as they turned to see the horse they rode in on begin to lift off.

"Not even a goodbye? How uncouth."

As he finished his sentence his eyes burned red in concentration. After a moment on of the ships engines began to sputter and the fiery exhaust cut out causing it to spin uncontrollably. It crashed into the ground sending a shockwave into the sky, cutting through the thick smog.

As the air cleared, skyscrapers and towers lined the horizon around the small park. Snow began to lightly fall around them steaming off their heavy plate armor. One brother stepped forward to the eldest.

"This is not Polydroso, brother."

He looked to his younger sibling of mere minutes and smiled.

"No it is not, but I sense we will find what we've come for."

—

"So.. I get that we need to be 'discreet' but we couldn't have brought a car? Or even your motorcycle?"

The two young birds walked along a dirt path covered in a thin sheet of snow as the sun dipped beyond the peak of mount Parnassus.

"Wow, you'd actually prefer my motorcycle to walking?"

He laughed a bit as she glared back at him.

"It'd get us out of the cold faster. Since when was Greece this cold?"

Robin continued to laugh for a few moments longer to which she responded by punching him in the shoulder with her good arm.

"Why didn't you think it would be cold?"

Robin asked rubbing his shoulder in mock pain. Her glare continued as she spoke.

"I don't know, I guess when I think of Greece I think of the Romans and based on all the movies Cyborg watched last summer they were all burly men in skirts, robes, and weird-ass hats. Kinda figured to wear that kinda shit it couldn't be too cold."

Robin smiled at her response but stifled a laugh knowing it would earn him another dead-arm.

"You actually watched those with him?"

Raven sighed.

"I caught glimpses here and there while I was reading. I'm sure we all did the way he was marathoning them."

Robin could hold his laugh no longer and let it loose yet again though this time Raven began to smile.

"He had to have watched Ben Hur like 3 different times. Do you have any idea what got him on that kick."

Raven shook her head.

"Whatever it was I'm glad it's over. I don't ever want to see another man in a skirt."

Robin chuckled.

"What, you're not into seeing big burly man legs?"

Raven shook her head again allowing a short laugh to escape her.

"Yeah, I'll pass on that."

Robin laughed.

"Alright, so did you bring an actual jacket or is that all you have?"

He gestured to her outfit consisting of black skinny jeans, a grey sweater, and a navy pea coat. Raven glared back at him her eyes threatening to turn red. Robin held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright, alright. Come on, we're almost there, should be just over this next hill."

The two picked up their pace ever so slightly as they reached the crest of the hill. Sure enough, beyond a plot of crops stood a lone cottage glowing against The quickly dimming horizon.

Robin turned to look at Raven as she pulled at her coat with her left arm, wrapping the already tightly fitting clothing even closer to her body. Behind her scowl he could make out the faint sound of teeth chattering every few seconds as the lack of sunlight stole what little semblance of warmth still existed in the air. Despite how warm her coat looked, it was made for California winters and she was definitely cold.

"Come on, lets get you inside."

He said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders trying to offer whatever warmth he could. The notion warmed her spirit but did nothing to stem the tide of chilling air against her body. Goosebumps continued to cover her but a small smile played against her lips for a brief second before she wiped the expression away.

Within a few minutes they found themselves on the porch of the small two-story cottage. Robin left her side as he stepped forward and brought his hand up to knock. He hesitated for a moment, looking back at the shivering girl just behind him before proceeding.

*knock* *knock* *knock*

A moment of silence passed like an eternity before they could hear shuffling behind the door. Robin was sure he could hear Raven swearing beneath her breath. After another brief moment the door finally clicked and slowly swung inward to an older, yet fit man.

"Hello there. . ."

Robin gave a warm smile extending his hand in greetings as he looked the man over.

He stood just under 6 foot with a thin frame. His grey hair and stubble told the tale of age but his body still seemed quite strong from the look of his muscles filling out his white button up shirt.

The man took a moment to size up the two individuals on his porch as well, eyes lingering on the young girl. An eerie feeling came over him but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he looked back to the young man.

". . . I'm assuming you to be Richard?"

His voice was kind and proper speaking in perfect English. Judging by his complexion and facial features he was most likely English in descent as well.

"Yes, that's right. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Dorian."

He nodded to him with a weak smile taking Robin's hand in a firm handshake. His eyes once again drifted to the azure haired girl who shied away from his gaze.

"And this is?"

Robin followed the gaze before remembering his manners.

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry. This is. . ."

"Rachel, my name is Rachel Roth."

Raven looked at Robin as she spoke and extended her hand to shake with the old man. Robin looked back a little wide eyed and surprised by her assertiveness. Pushing the thought to the back of his mind he focused on the older gentleman once again.

"It is lovely to meet you, Ms. Roth. Now both of you please, come in. It is getting quite cold out here."

The man stepped to the side a hand outstretched toward the inside of the house to invite them in. The two birds quickly accepted, even Robin starting to feel the effects of the cold air, reminiscent of his younger years. The front door gave way to a small entryway consisting of a decorative table and coat rack populated with a few heavy coats. Robin began to shed his own coat as Raven took in the masterful handcrafting of the wooden furniture and moldings. A sudden feeling against her shoulders nearly made her jump, but upon looking back to find the old man chivalrously attempting to take her coat. She calmed her nerves and let him begin to peel the coat off of her. Only a slight pain registered in her mind as he did so. Once it was removed he placed the coat on the rack next to Robin's and turned to lead them into the next room.

The entryway led into the corner of a small common area. To the right against the wall was a small entertainment center complete with a fairly large TV. Directly across from it on the opposing wall sat a beautiful light brown leather couch. Bars ran along the back wall showcasing the stairs that lay behind it leading to the bedrooms of the small cottage.

The old man ushered them in to sit upon the couch for a moment as he sat down in a similar looking armchair adjacent to them. The two gladly took their seat on the comfy loveseat as the old man began to speak.

"I was getting worried you may have gotten lost."

Robin laughed a slight bit.

"Sorry, I'm not really used to navigating the countryside so it took a little longer than expected."

The man nodded.

"I'm sure it was a long trip, coming from America. Can I get you anything? Tea, or perhaps coffee?"

Ravens brow quirked up at the thought of tea but she decided to stay quiet. Her desire to sleep stronger than her need for a soothing cup of warm liquid. Robin looked to Raven for her answer which he read from her expression quickly and responded.

"I think we'll be fine. But thank you."

The old man nodded and smiled. He looked over his left shoulder at a clock on the wall then back to the two birds on his right.

"I'm glad you made it before the sun was down for too long. It can get very cold at night in the shadow of the mountain. Now you said that you were working on a film?"

Robin nodded glancing at Raven as he spoke.

"Yes, that's right. We read about the strange events that took place just west of here and wanted to make a documentary about it. As such we thought it best to come and talk to the people who were here when it all happened."

The man slowly nodded.

"Well you won't find many people that are willing to talk about it I'm afraid. Growing up in a small village like this breeds it's fair share of superstition. You're just lucky I wasn't born here."

Robin nodded.

"That's what I gathered based on the articles I read. Thank you again for your willingness to help us."

The man nodded courteously.

"Of course. For now, it is far too late to speak of such things so please, allow me to show you to your room."

Raven glanced at robin as the man stood, her mind now focused on the singular noun "room". Robin ignored her gaze and followed the old man as he lead them around and up the stairs. They walked down a hallway before the man opened a door at its end revealing a small guest room. Two windows lined the back wall overlooking the fields and a door on the right lead to the bathroom. On the left was a fairly decent sized sliding door closet with a dresser against the wall. In the center of the room against the back wall stood a single queen sized bed.

Raven again tried to steal a sideways glance of disapproval but he continued to ignore her instead focusing his attention on their guide.

"The bathroom is to the right and you may use the shower but please be mindful of the limited hot water. I will be down the hall should you need anything."

With that Robin offered his thanks and the old man closed the door as he left. Now alone, Robin turned around to a very concerned Raven. Looking behind her at the single bed he quickly pieced together her dilemma and offered a solution.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the floor."

Raven opened her mouth originally wanting to yell at him for not being more prepared and getting separate rooms for them but as he got to work taking surplus pillows and blankets to make a bed next to the closet she felt slightly guilty for not offering to take the floor first.

"Are you sure?"

The only question she could think to offer and the delivery was weak with intent. He nodded with a smile as he looked back at her. She gave quiet thank you before shouldering her bag and walking into the bathroom.

She closed the door behind her and set the bag down on the counter taking a moment to look herself over in the mirror. Her skin was an ashen grey and dark circles gathered beneath her eyes. The light and life of her violet eyes was completely gone and masked by pure exhaustion. Her hair fell hap-hazardously around her face in its bluish tone sitting slightly longer than she normally kept it thanks to her lack of care. She ran her left hand through the azure lochs soothed by the softness of it. Despite not sleeping well she'd be damned if she didn't keep up with her hygiene.

That thought in mind she quickly produced a toothbrush from her duffle bag and began to brush her teeth. After finishing she shuffled through her bag to pull out a black tank top and a pair of thin shorts. She set them on the counter then looked at the door behind her remembering that she would be sharing a room with her leader. She looked back at her pajamas of choice and sighed.

She kicked off her black combat boots and slipped her jeans off of her legs piling them on top of the boots. Standing up straight she took a deep breath before trying to pull the sweater off and over her head. A task that would normally cause her enough pain to yell and cuss was surprisingly less uncomfortable. A few winces later and the garment was discarded to the pile beside her.

She inspected her wounded wing and found a surprising amount of control restored. She could wiggle her fingers now without pain though bending at the elbow still elicited a sharp searing sensation. She leaned against the counter and sighed again.

She took another moment to look herself over, her eyes catching on the outlines of her ribs barely showing under her skin. She was not underweight but her nightmares and sleeplessness had certainly caused her body to become more frail. Her arms were thinner than normal and her legs had lost some of the definition they'd held. Vanity would gain her nothing but the look of her physical form could tell her what was in good condition or not. Her current state of health and lack of strength concerned her but she knew there was nothing to be done for now. She quickly slipped on her pajamas and gathered her things to bring back into the room.

She opened the door slowly as to not grab Robin's attention, oddly hyper aware of how little clothing she had on. She peeked her head out before she fully exited the bathroom and saw Robin knelt down next to his makeshift bed fluffing the pillow and laying a sheet across the heavy quilts that now made his mattress.

She opened the door fully and began to make her way to the bed, her eyes not leaving him. She placed her bag and clothes on the ground next to the night stand and upon standing up was caught by the sight of her leader removing his long-sleeved shirt and tossing it the wayside. Under the low light of the singular lamp in the room it was hard to make out, but Raven's eyes traced each line of his torso against her own will and better judgement.

He continued making ready for bed as she examined each of his movements carefully watching the way his muscles would tighten. Her mind finally snapped back into place just in time to evade an awkward situation as he looked back at her and she made herself busy getting into the bed and pulling the covers up to shield her body from his prying eyes though the thought did not elicit discomfort.

"Ready for bed?"

He asked as he too began to slip beneath his covers. Raven's mind drifted to the idea of sleep and the thought of what her dreams may bring her. She looked back to Robin, now staring at the ceiling. Somehow his presence made her feel more at ease but still the thought of haunting dreams plagued her.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

She said quietly. She closed her eyes and within moments she began to drift off into sleep. Robin frowned at the comment knowing full well the meaning. He too closed his blue eyes and allowed sleep to consume him.


	13. Petrified

"Come on, it can't be a legit UFO. The league would have caught it long before it broke atmosphere."

"Sí, es imposible!"

"Maybe the league was busy? Or maybe it was too small for them to notice?"

The four men rambled on together as they ran down the street.

"Whatever the reason, we need to keep our guard up. We have no idea if whoever's flying the thing is a threat."

The others nodded following their leader. As the street ended and gave way to grass and sparse trees they continued to sprint through the light fog before stopping just within sight of the large crashed ship.

"I thought the report said they landed, not crashed."

The leader quickly shhh'd the arrogant archer as they crouched down behind a park bench and a tree. Peaking over they spotted movement in the wreckage. A tall green man began to stumble out from the twisted metal that once jumped gaps between star systems. He attempted to gain his footing as he cleared the wreckage but quickly fell back to a kneel while clutching his head.

"Maybe it was an accident?"

The black eyed man beside her whispered. His face concerned as if feeling the pain of the alien creature. The group continued watching as three humans rounded the corner from behind the heap of metal clad in heavy armored plate.

"Jebediah, I am so disappointed."

The leader of the three stepped forward before the wheezing alien. His face was white and young but he seemed to carry a higher knowledge than his appearance would assume. His voice slithered out from his sharp mouth with a smooth yet disturbing tone earning chills from their audience.

The green man coughed and what appeared to be blood, blue in color, flew from his mouth and stained the ground.

"Did you think you could desert us so easily?"

The armored man continued to speak as he drew a large sword from his back. The alien raised an arm up in surrender as he clutched his throat with the other, clearly submissive to their will.

"It's a shame, I was beginning to like you."

The man raised his sword high and just as the blade began to fall an arrow struck the metal and loosened the weapon from the executioners grip embedding in the metal of the ship. Frustrated the man looked to the direction of the arrow fixating on a blonde haired man, bow drawn with another arrow notched and at the ready. To his right stood 4 others. One tall and thin wearing black tights and a blue form-fitting top, two shorter men dressed in the same white and red jumpsuit and a young woman dressed in black and yellow. The mans brow furrowed as he glared at the group.

"I don't know where you're from, but we don't kill deserters."

The young woman spoke, clearly the leader of the outfit. The man sighed then grinned back up at her.

"Very well then."

He stretched his hand out behind him as his blade immediately emerged from the wreckage and landed perfectly within his grasp. His grin grew wider and his allies drew their matching blades. As they did, their red eyes began to glow brightly.

"Perhaps you can demonstrate how you treat murderers."

All three men bared their sharp teeth as their eyes now burned as red as hellfire. Memories festered in the minds of their new adversaries. Horrifying images of men and women slaughtered by their hands were meant to instill fear but instead perpetuated anger within the young heroes. As anger struck their faces the three men began to laugh.

The leader looked to her allies before shouting her command.

"Titans, Go!"

—

Her head left the pillow at Mach speeds nearly snapping her neck. A loud gasp escaped her lips as her eyes shot around the room, hyper aware of the room she found herself in. It was not her room. It was not dark and safe. She felt her breathing become slightly more erratic but then her memories caught back up to her as she remembered arriving there the night before. She relaxed slightly but as the adrenaline left her body a dull pain began to appear in her wrists and side. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes as the pain swept over her and the memory of her most recent nightmare returned to her mind.

Every night without fail she would dream of her own crucifixion and of her imminent death that would follow at the hands of her step brothers. All to release the source of all evil back into the mortal realm. Her blood ran cold at the thought as she recalled his face and the terror he brought. Then amongst the horrors came a pleasant sight. A friend, someone she trusted. Masked eyes and a hopeful smile filled her thoughts as she recalled the boy wonder himself. The anxiety that had begun to well up within her began to dissipate and she felt a calm come over her. Then she recalled that very man had slept so close to her within that same room. Her lilac orbs once again peered our into the room as she drew back her eyelids. The same hope that had been in his eyes that day reflected in her own. She directed her gaze to the assortment of pillows and blankets on the floor by the closet to realize that he was not there. Again, a slight amount of panic began to overwhelm her mind. The sound of the door knob slowly turning brought a burning sensation of fear at what lay beyond before it was all laid to rest again. As the door opened, spiky black hair invaded through the crack followed by a bright, handsome face accompanied with piercing blue eyes and a white smile. Her heart nearly fluttered at the sight but minding her emotions she shoved them down and steeled her face to shed no feelings.

"Good morning."

His voice was slightly lower than normal, or perhaps his voice had aged and she just hadn't noticed it.

"Morning."

She said plainly, her monotone even more unforgiving thanks to her gravely morning voice. Still he smiled at her with those perfect white teeth. She wonders for a moment just how he kept them so damn pearly. She shook her head to evade the though process.

"Breakfast is just about ready. Should just be a few more minutes."

Raven absently nodded at his words as she began to stare past him, the only way to show her attention without becoming lost in the bright blue of his eyes. 'What the hell is going on' she mentally chided herself. Seeing her nod he offered a large smile.

"See you down there."

He then withdrew his head and once again closed the door permitting her privacy. With that she let out a long sigh bringing rubbing her temples with her fingers. She seriously needed to meditate when her powers were back. She froze for a moment with her eyes snapping open. Slowly she trailed her gaze to look at her right arm recognizing a lack of pain in its movement. she threw the sheets off of her and swung her legs off the side of the bed. She stood and raced to the bathroom. With the added visual the mirror offered with the morning light she brought her arm up for inspection. The appendage had long since been devoid of any visual representation of the wound since her self healing prioritized the flesh before the bone. Still she looked intently upon it but began to move her arm slowly back forth attempting to determine if there was still any pain.

After a few moments of this she found herself unable to determine any soreness with the exception of her persisting pains from her nightmare. Absentmindedly her hands pulled in close to hold her sides as the searing sting of what had happened flashed within her mind. Perhaps they were dreams but she'd only felt the after effects of her dreams a few times before. She shuttered at the thought, the image of her fathers fiery mark imbued upon her bedroom wall was still too recent and vivid in her mind. She felt her hand reach at her throat, feeling the same shortness of breath before something brought her back.

A slight pinch barely registered in her forearm. She frowned recognizing that perhaps the pain and helplessness was not over. Still she held her other hand above the bone and closed her eyes as she forcibly took control of her powers, sensing the state of her arm. After a few moments she pieces together a mental image of the bone finding a small fracture roughly 2 inches in length running along it. An improvement over being completely crushed as it was but still, the notion solidified a frown on her face.

Realistically she didn't care about the pain. She could handle that, the discomfort, even the distortion of her skin. What she could not, however, withstand was the absolute helplessness that accompanied her situation. While she was far from being untrained and unable to protect herself, no small part of her strength was due to her powers. The extent of her abilities both learned on Azarath and given of blood were more powerful than almost any other being on earth, rivaling the man of steel himself if not for her expert control of her emotions. Knowing that she was completely incapable of tapping into her magics made her feel impossibly uncomfortable and weak. The idea of having to rely on anyone didn't sit right with her, even after having been part of a team for so many years.

She sighed but knit her brow determined to try and change her circumstance. She focused her eyes on the handle of the faucet before her, attempting to reign in her preoccupied powers. Pain began to creep up in her arm as slowly she successfully redirected her energy and the handle moved unleashing a steady flow of warm water. She released the Black hold on the handle and physically relaxed, realizing exactly how much of her own physical stamina it took to focus her power. Still she's managed to take control. A small smirk played against her lips for only a moment before she refocused on getting ready for the day.

After a quick shower she got dressed for the day choosing a pair of skinny blue jeans, a maroon t-shirt, and light black hooded jacket. Dawning her combat boots again she made her way down the stairs following a familiar smell. It took her a few moments to recognize the scent of her favorite mix of herbal tea. A new sense of urgency began to swell within her as she became excited to feel its calming effect.

She rounded the next corner and passed through an open doorway into the small kitchen. Directly in front of her was a small square table and chairs, three places set with silverware and cloth napkins. Beyond that stood the kitchen proper. An older style fridge complete with lever handle sat on the left with beige cabinets stretching around the room in a 'U' shape, a window above the sink at its apex.

A loud whistle began to blow to the right where the stove sat, a kettle of tea on the back burner of the stainless steel gas stove. The man before the range was also quick at work cooking an assortment of breakfast foods, placing the finished delicacies on the plates beside him. Robin passed by the older gentleman cooking and lifted the kettle from the stove before pouring a single mug and placing a tea bag in it. He set the kettle back down on a cold burner and turned finding Raven still in the doorway. He smiled at her welling a warmth within her stomach that fluttered causing no small amount of confusion within her.

"Morning, Rae!"

He spoke gently but with sincere excitement. 'How long has he been up?' She thought to herself noting how chipper and awake he seemed. He was always a morning person but normally he needed a cup of coffee to stand up straight. With no black stained mug in sight she added it to the list of confusing things for the day.

"Good morning."

She returned her own smile and nodded. Robin made his way to her, tea cup in hand, and pulled out a chair at the table, offering her the spot. After a moments hesitation she took it and robin handed her the cup of tea. She thanked him then looked at the warm brownish liquid. The tea carried the exact same hue and smell as the brew she'd personally crafted. A quick inspection of the small white tag attached to the steeping bag she found her own signature 'R' on it.

Quirking her eyebrow she looked up to where robin now stood, beside the old man again. She caught sight just in time to watch him tuck a small white box into his jacket, the same size as the box of custom ordered tea she'd bought only a week prior. She shook off the thought before much longer instead deciding to revel in the calming effect of her personal tea. She took a sip and allowed herself to relax.

She closed her eyes taking in the feeling. As her other senses became more acute she began to smell the old mans cooking. Bacon popped on the griddle as he flipped another pancake with his spatula. After another moment she was brought to by the sound of glass being placed on the table before her. Opening her eyes she found robin placing a plate, stacked with food, in front of her. Robin took a seat beside her with his own plate.

The last piece of bacon made its way off of the pan and onto his own plate as the old man joined the other two at the table. Raven, readied a fork to begin eating when he spoke up.

"Hold on."

Caught off guard she looked up directly at him with confusion in her eyes. The man smiled back settling her nerves a bit thought the confusion remained.

"I apologize if it's not your custom, but I feel it right to bless the food before we eat."

He continued to smile at her his kind intentions obvious though the gesture offered Raven no comfort. She forced herself to smile back and nod though she felt the fear begin to fester within her.

She had once attempted to pray when she was with the monks in Azarath but found that as she offered the words, her blood began to boil and her flesh burn. After the painful experience she understood that her demonic heritage had condemned her. No plea made to the God of earth or Azarath would be heard with her offering.

The older man sat in the chair across from her and folded his arms as he closed his eyes and bent his head forward. Raven felt her breathing stop in anticipation as she replicated his actions, folding her arms and nearly curling in on herself, expectant of the same pain she'd felt before.

"Dear father in heaven..."

The feeling that came next surprised her as her eyes shot open. Looking to her right she found a hand placed over her own. Glancing up she saw Robin's eyes meet her own. The single moment of eye contact they shared told her everything. He'd felt her emotions, the strong fear and anticipation of pain. In that moment he'd reached out to comfort her. She felt a small smile begin to tug at her lips. The simple gesture kept her attention as she closed her eyes again, trying to focus on anything but the words the old man was saying. To her surprise she felt nothing other than the warmth of her leaders hand as he traced lines down her knuckles and fingers.

"Amen"

Robin and Raven repeated the closing word, Raven's slightly quieter. She felt relief flow through her in full as she picked up a fork and began eating. The prayer had passed without so much of a stinging sensation. Perhaps imprisoning her father had helped increase her standing with the great creator. Either way she felt a calm return to her as she ate.

After a short time eating the generous breakfast and some small talk between robin and the old man, the three loaded into the old mans truck and began the hour long trek south towards the location believed to be the center of the cultists rituals.

—-

"You all truly are quite entertaining."

The young girl thrashed about as she tried to free herself. Despite the glaive crushing her throat she refuse to give in.

"And your spirit is almost hopeful."

The heated battle between titans and brothers lasted only a few minutes before they ended in their current situation. One brother held Mas by the throat with Speedy beneath his boot. Another brother held a blade to Aqualad's neck while Menos laid unconscious a few feet in front of them. Bee struggled against the leader, kicking and lashing out but no matter her efforts the man just laughed at her.

Another fist missed its mark hitting the air just before the mans nose. She snarled as he laughed yet again.

"My name is Jacob, my brothers and I are searching to. . . Reunite. . . Our family. Perhaps you can help us."

Bee continued her death glare as the other titans steeled themselves for whatever would come.

"Go to hell."

She screamed out, bitter and frustrated with her situation. The man smirked back at her.

"I'd prefer to bring it here."

As he spoke an image flashed across the titan's minds. Fire, ash, and brimstone. As the sight passed Jacob nodded to he brother on his left. Without speaking the man conjured a dagger of pure black energy Before plunging the blade deep into Aqualad's neck. He screamed for only a moment before his cry was silenced as stone replaced skin. The titans watched the spectacle in horror at the power their adversaries held.

Jacobs gaze stayed ever vigilantly trained on Bee. He drank in the terror that betrayed her eyes and his eyes burned brighter at the feelings that poured off of her.

"Lets try this again. We're looking for a little blue bird. Perhaps you know where we can find her."

Realization struck her. The black aura emanating from the black dagger, the image of hell, 'blue bird'. It all came together as Raven's face appeared in her mind. Her expression faltered for only a moment before she regained her composure. The moment, however, did not go unnoticed.

"So you are acquainted. Tell me then, where is she?"

Bee held her lips shut, unwilling to condemn her friend and ally. After a few seconds with no response the man nodded to his right. On queue both of his brothers conjured black daggers and made statues of Mas and Menos. She screamed as she watched, uncertain of the permanence of their petrification. She shouted till her lungs were sore and tears began to well in her eyes.

One of the brothers brought speedy up from beneath third boot and forced him to his knees before her, a black blade at his throat.

"Don't fucking tell them, Bee! We'll be fine."

Jacob sighed before nodding again. The blade was plunged into her flesh just like the others. His skin marbled as he screamed. When all was silent again Jacob spoke again.

"This will be your last chance to tell me what I want to know."

He glared at her defeated face. Her eyes glanced between her teammates. What sight would have demoralized most anyone else only served to fuel her inner fire. If she gave up now, their loss would be for naught. She steeled her gaze and glared back at Jacob.

"Fuck you!"

She spat in his face and he recoiled at the rude gesture. With disgust we wiped the saliva from his face with his free hand before flinging it at the ground.

"And I had so hoped for this to be easy."

He refocused his eyes on hers as they turned a bright red. Two additional slits began to glow on his forehead. Bee prepared for the worst but was surprised as she felt her body go numb. Her vision faded but not completely, only as if she were take a few steps back. Confusion set in as her eyes closed against her own will and darkness overtook her sight. After a few moments they opened again this time with a new image before her. The teen titans stood before her, cyborg with his hand out stretched to greet her. She wanted to reach out and take it but she couldn't, she was frozen. She began to inspect her field of view. Stockings hung around the common room, Starfire dawned an oversized Santa hat and Beastboy was wearing that ugly reindeer sweater from last. . . That was it. It was an image from her past. Everything went dark again but then light returned with an image of the tower from the shore. Jacob had hijacked her mind and was forcibly sifting through her memories. She attempted to scream again but nothing came out. He was in control now. Darkness ensued once again when the returning image was the mountain pass into the city. A sign read 'Jump City', clearly denoting the location. Her eyes went wide in realization that despite her fighting, she had failed to protect them. Suddenly her Vision returned in full and she felt Jacobs hand tightening around her throat again. He smirked at her.

"Now was that so hard?"

With that question he sank his own blade into her stomach. He released her as she folded in on herself. Slowly but surely the petrification took her encasing the last of the titans east in stone. Jacob turned and began to walk away, his brothers following.

"Let's go find our dear sister, 'Raven'."


	14. Omphalos

"So. . . What is this place exactly?"

The three made their way down a small hill.

"Its part of an ancient city built by the Greeks sometime in the 8th century B.C. The main part is up the road a bit and is a major tourist attraction but this bit never really caught on. Especially now after everything that happened."

Robin simply nodded as the followed the short path before finally coming to a clearing. Raven's eyes lit up at the sight of the ancient ruins before them. Centuries old stone made up what was once a small marketplace.

As her eyes took in each piece of her surroundings her vision caught on one specific piece of architecture. Toward the center of the site stood a circular building once a domed ramada of some form. Brilliant pillars circled about the spot though all but three of the hand carved stones remained upright, the lighter shaded stone in places giving away the restoration process that had long since been abandoned.

"The rituals took place here then?"

Dorian nodded as they continued to make their way into the ruins.

"Correct. It hasn't been touched since everything that happened. I told you about how superstitious these people can be."

Robin nodded his understanding as Dorian slowed allowing Robin and Raven to take the lead of their investigation. Robin began to look around but quickly found himself looking to raven for guidance, her sensitivity to the occult making her much better suited to look for clues about the site.

Freedom to explore her curiosities nearly brought a smile to her face, a sort of reluctant excitement about investigating an ancient ruin. Taking the lead she made her way toward the circular structure she'd seen.

As she neared the spot she began to take in the details. The location seemed to be mostly untouched, the distorted coloration of the pillars giving away restoration attempts. All else seemed untouched with the exception of a large flat stone about table height that stood in the center of the floor. The obvious scrapes across the tile floor leading from the table to the most accessible entrance told the story of it being moved into place manually and within the last few decades.

Nearing the dark stone she noticed a darker color stained its center resembling blood in appearance.

"This is where they performed their rituals. . ."

She spoke out loud though mostly to herself as she ran a hand over the cold stone. Robin, behind her, framed his face as he always does when he thinks. A thumb and a finger outstretched supporting his chin with his other arm tucked around his waist.

"Everything else seems untouched with the exception of this.."

Robin spoke his deductions though she'd already made the same conclusions. Raven ignored him as she continued to study the markings on the rock. As she studied its surface she found shallow engravings around the edge of the old stone, the shadows well hidden on its dark appearance. As she ran her finger along the etchings she began to realize the shape of the repeating character.

She quickly withdrew her hand, her eyes going wide as she retreated a few steps. Robin was quick to reach her side but before he could ask her anything a familiar symbol appeared on her forehead. Robin froze before the old mans voice caught his attention.

"What the hell?"

Robin spun on his heels ready to defend his ally but was relieved to find his comment focused on the ritual table. The etchings along the edge of the stone began to glow red with the mark of Scath. Robin turned to raven as she pulled her hood up covering her face in shadow to the best of her ability.

The ground began to shake violently and they each stumbled. Raven was quick to stay balanced so robin reached out to help stabilize Dorian who was struggling in his old age. Around circular structure the tiles began to lower into the earth revealing a darkened passage leading downward. The sight felt all too familiar to robin and raven.

When the tremors finally stopped robin and raven quickly made their way to stand at the top of the stairs looking down at the daunting darkness before them. Dorian came to stand beside them following their gaze.

"If you're planning on going down there you can count me out."

He said matter of factly. Robin and raven stole a glance at each other before she began making her way down. Robin turned to the old man. Who now stood with his mouth agape at her bravery.

"If we're not back in a half hour. . . ."

Robin was going to continue but Dorian simply held his hand up, stopping him.

"If you don't come back from down there in an hour, I'm leaving."

Robin nodded before turning and following Raven down into the depths below.

—

The entirety of their descent was filled with a sense of both dread and deja vu. It seemed to them as if it was only a few days ago that the world had been bathed in the fires of hell. Robin shuttered at the memory remembering his venture into the fiery pits with the man he hated most to save the girl who walked only a few steps ahead of him. His eyes lingered on her violet locks as they swung above her shoulders with each step contrasting perfectly with the ashen skin of her neck hidden behind her soft hair. He'd fought hard to forget the things he'd seen that day, an effort to disassociate the misfortunate girl he'd come to know from the demonic heritage that haunted her.

As that though passed through his mind his mouth lifted into a sorrowful smile. He knew a bit about bad relationships with fathers but her circumstance was more life threatening than uncomfortable. The knowledge that your own father was the embodiment of all evil that is, was, or ever will be. Immortal and impossible to fully contain. Even now having been banished to a pocket dimension of Raven's own making he still commanded legions of demons and devils alike, their influence piercing through the very fabric of reality as it's tendrils of lust, greed, and hate wrapped around the weak willed and disturbed.

Her life was a sad one, doomed to be part of such an atrocity and at no ones fault but the demon himself. She could blame no one but him and the more she did the more he won. Her anger would only feed him, her fear drive him. With every ounce of strength he gained she would only weaken, her own depression no doubt weighing heavily on her already weary mind.

Despite all this she'd found home and family in her friends hadn't she? His thoughts drifted to the times they'd had together as a team. Always laughing and having fun but the most she could show for it was a small smile tugging at her small lips. The thought only proved to deepen the sorrow of his smile. Even when she was happy, she was not allowed to be. Even that emotion could offset her balance too greatly. How could someone live such a life devoid of both happiness and hatred. Even love seemed to elude her save for her short experiences with a backstabbing dragon and their resident green vegan. The former having broken her heart in two and the latter doing the same though he'd not known or intended it.

"Grayson?"

Robin bumped straight into Raven nearly knocking them both over before she stepped back and caught her balance as he did the same. Robin shook his head to escape his stupor before dumbly looking to Raven. His expression was blank and innocent as she glared at him. She shook her head before she turned and began making her way through the arched doorway having reached the bottom of the stairs. Robin followed after into a dimly lit circular room, centered beneath the structure above with a round wooden table in the middle. Sconces lit with an unnatural red flame lined the walls where four additional arches lead to more rooms. Robin looked again to Raven for direction as she began making her way into the first room on the right.

The room was oddly formed, the wall with the door running the length of the circular room before squaring off to meet another wall at a 90 degree angle. The opposing side did much the same forming a nearly L-shaped room. More of the same sconces lit the dark room. To the left, between the far wall and the rounded one, stood three wooden beds, fit for three young boys. The end tables between the beds held up mountains of books and papers all reminiscent of Raven's personal library though notably less neat. On the right side of the room stood a small desk with an equal number of texts though a small space was cleared in the middle with a singular opened book. Raven stepped picked up the notebook, hundreds of years newer than nearly all the other literature in the room.

She carefully looked at the words, attempting to understand the foreign language at the top of the page;

 _Δευτέρα: Διαλογισμός_

 _Τρίτη: Τηλεκινησία_

 _Τετάρτη: Αστρική προβολή_

 _Πέμπτη: Διαλογισμός (πάλι)_

 _Παρασκευή: Τα δώρα του πατέρα_

The handwriting of young child no doubt. Despite her best efforts she could not decipher any of the meanings. Still curious of the words she placed the small notebook in the pocket of her jacket to be translated later. Rescanning the desktop she reached for another book that sat apart from the stacks of spells. Opening it she found it flipped to a specific page, the edge turned down to keep it's place. The text at the top of the page was in a familiar language to her reading "Dimensional Translocation" in latin. After reading a brief description of what was a complex teleportation spell she began to piece together a story.

"Richard."

She said, her eyes still focused on the book. After a moment of silence she called out again, assuming that he'd walked off to another room.

"Richard?"

Again a moment of no sound before a strange sound resonated in the room. Immediately she felt her entire body run cold and a dull pain began to emanate from her shoulder. Confusion overcame her senses and she turned just in time to use the book she was holding to block a dagger, the blade forcing straight through the pages but stopping as the hilt hit the leather binding. Raven quickly forced the book and her attacker to the side leveraging the book to pull her assailant behind her as she stepped around to face what she could now see was an elderly woman. Her mind tried to rationalize what was happening. The strange pain she was feeling, the crazy old bat trying to kill her. She attempted to retreat a step back to put a little more distance between herself and the old woman only to stumble on something heavy beneath her feet. As she tripped landed on the other side of the object she found Robin laying in the middle of the floor, his body rigid with the hilt of a dagger protruding from his shoulder. A small stream of blood was slowly filling in the cracks of the stone beneath him.

He pain she was feeling suddenly made sense now. She quickly reached out with her powers to check for a pulse. To her surprise she could feel his heart beating as strong as she had always felt it. The beat was slowing but still steady, consistent with some form of paralysis. Recognizing he was okay, at least for the moment, her body went into fight mode. She looked up just as the old woman was readying her blade for another downward strike on her. Raven thought swiftly and raised a hand focusing on the stacks of heavy books surrounding them. A moment passed before her energy enveloped them and threw them at the woman. To Raven's dismay they only moved with enough force to stumble her.

Using what little time she'd bought she stood up and sprinted out of the room searching for anything to aid in her fight. Running straight across the hall she entered what seemed to be a small alchemy lab. Bottles of unknown liquids and concoctions lined the tables along with plants growing in pots on the shelves. Hearing footsteps approaching she frantically picked up the first bottle she could find and turned. The old woman sprinted at her and as she was about to hit her she dodged out of the way letting her pass by. Raven through the bottle at the woman and then used her weakened powers to knock over the rest of the strange ingredients. She turned again and ran back to the room where robin was.

She inspected the ground around him hoping that he'd brought his bow staff or his birdarangs, anything that could help defend her. Her eyes lingered on the ornate dagger he was impaled with but fear of him bleeding out made her disregard that option. When she found nothing on the floor around him she next looked to his belt, the back of it exposed from his face-down position. Clipped to his thick belt was a familiar red and yellow birdarang though slightly larger than normal. Shrugging off the thought she grabbed it and left the room hoping to finally have the upper hand on her attacker.

Just as she stepped out of the room the woman stumbled out of the lab, anger written in her now agitated face as unknown concoctions burned her face leaving trails of steam into the air. Raven slid her thumb up the handle of her newfound weapon to open it as robin so often did, but was surprised as a long blade emerged from the center resembling a sword. She didn't have much time to think about the new weapon as the old woman lunged at her again. Raven lifted the blade and easily parried the blow. For the first time in her life she was thankful for Robin's mandatory weapon sparring.

Another swing and another successful deflection but this time she sidestepped allowing her to stumble forward while she moved behind her. Raven gathered whatever strength she had and mustered into pommel strike on the old woman's head. She collapsed directly following the impact.

Raven stood over the old woman just watching her for a moment as she caught her breath. When she did not move she reached out with her powers to ensure she was alive but unconscious. She felt the faint heartbeat slowing yet steady as she raised her hand above her body, a faint aura enveloping her hand.

She sighed, satisfied with the moment of peace. After a moment her thoughts finally caught back up with her as she remembered the young hero bleeding out in the next room. Panic set in as she sprinted back into the room.

"Dick!"

She shouted as she fell to her knees beside him frantically looking over his seemingly lifeless form. The stream of blood that had been expanding beneath him like a spiderweb in the cracked stone had not grown much larger than it was, easing some of her worry. Now focusing her efforts she looked to the dagger sticking out of his right shoulder. Carefully she wrapped a hand around the hilt and mentally prepared herself for the waves of pain she would soon be experiencing.

In one motion she removed the dark blade and placed her other hand over the wound, activating her healing powers. Wave after wave of excruciating pain wretched through her body while she used every bit of her resolve not to scream from the intensity of it.

After what seemed like hours of torment over a few minutes she pulled her hand away and slumped up against the wall beside him, attempting to catch her own breath. She watched him, worry still present in her gaze as she waited for a response from his body. Something to tell her he was okay. When nothing came she reached back out inspected the location of the wound finding the skin to be repaired but completely black in color.

She looked back at the blade discarded on the ground beside her noting its black color and picked up the old relic. Using her powers she held a hand above the blade intent on discovering if any curses had been placed on the old weapon. After a moment the blade began to burn with green fire proving her theory.

She once again discarded the metal dagger and knelt by Robin's side again, this time placing both hands over the site of the wound. Her eyes went white as she mouthed her mantra to her self. Black and green tendrils seeped from between her fingertips as she drew out the curse. These tendrils thinned after a few moments then dissipated completely.

Just as she removed her hands he gasped drawing in as much air as he could. Raven sat back again leaning against the wall both physically and emotionally exhausted from the episode. Robin coughed a few times as his body retched trying to balance his oxygen and return his heart rate to normal. When he finally gained control of his body he shot up looking around before focusing his attention on Raven who offered a weak smile in return.

"Rae, are you okay? What happened?"

His concern for her wellbeing nearly made her blush but she pushed the emotion down as she mustered her monotone to answer.

"I'm fine. You were stabbed by a crazy old lady, I fought her off, then I healed you."

Robin seemed to relax a bit after the first two words left her mouth. That quickly turned on its head as he felt his heart tighten a bit at the last sentence recalling the pain she took on when she healed others. Despite his frustration with her selfless act he moved to sit beside her against the wall.

"So.. where's the crazy old lady now?"

Robin turned to look at the exhausted girl. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms around them hunched forward a bit. Her head was tilted backwards so he crown of her skull was resting against the cold stone wall. She looked up at the ceiling listlessly.

"Unconscious. In the other room."

Her answer broke the illusion of her composure, her voice sounding tired and worn down. Robin could faintly hear her breathing but he swore he left her heartbeat slowing as well. Robin faced forward trying to focus on what he was feeling through their bond. He could feel her exhaustion but also a sense of relief, peace, l...

A sudden weight on his shoulder ripped him from his thoughts. Looking over he found violet locks draped across his shoulder as Raven rested her head there. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched her fade in and out of consciousness. Were they anywhere else he would have let this state last forever, fearful to move lest he ruined the perfection of the moment. Despite how much he wanted to let her rest he knew they weren't safe there.

Robin took his hand and shook her gently. Her tired azure eyes blinked open before she looked up into his icy blue ones. They were locked like that for a long moment as if waiting for something to happen. Raven moved away as soon as her mind came back to her, turning away to hide the furious blush now burning in her cheeks. Robin, using his own tactics to hide his embarrassment, stood up and brushed himself off. After a moment he extended a hand to Raven and helped her to her feet. After one last sweep of the rooms the two ascended the long circular staircase back to the surface and their guide.


	15. Bonding

Time passed at random intervals. Minutes seemed like days yet a week felt mere seconds long. The only tell-tale sign of the times was a tree in the distance. It's roots clung desperately to the hardened stone mending its cracks with vines and greenery. A brief time passed and the lovely tree turned orange and yellow before wilting to stand as though it were dead. Small leaves would then begin to grow on its old branches beginning the cycle again. Beyond the tree, the infinite chasm of space was deafeningly silent as it's emptiness was filled with beautiful stars in far off places. In the time it took to breathe in the image it all passed again and the floating rock the tree was adhered to circled a similar platform beneath the very vantage point it was viewed from.

As if becoming self aware within that moment of recognition the young girl looked down amazed by the simple truths of existence. She stared at her thin, pale hands and turned them over as she tried to remember how to use them. In awe of herself she failed to recognize as the darkness swallowed up all that surrounded her till the light of the stars failed her and she stood in the complete void.

A new light began to shine before her coming closer with each passing moment. She felt her feet move beneath her taking her forward though she felt she could not control it. She was being lead somewhere as if she were destined to see something. Soon she heard the crunch of ice beneath her heavy boots as the light began to surround her. Tall winter trees began to fill her vision in the midst of a field blanked by the white wonder of snow. Were it not for the icy chill that began to pierce her light clothes she would have relished the cold beauty.

Her feet continued to lead her through the dawn-lit forest and her pace seemed to quicken with each step. She could feel her heart rate slowly climbing as she stepped through another grouping of trees before coming to a clearing. Her eyes carefully scanned the landscape trying to take in every detail. A park bench next to a long and winding stone path.

Her eyes then saw what was out of place. A large heap of twisted metal lay smoldering on the damp grass. Black scorch marks marred the field the closer to the object they were. As her eyes continued to follow the ground she caught sight of another oddity. Statues. Strange in their placement. Her legs now within her command carried her closer before she realized what she was looking at.

Friends, not statues, encased in stone. The paralytic daggers protruding from their necks. Anxiety rose within her as she tried to understand what had happened. still her feet brought her closer. She approached one of the young heroes inspecting their frozen body and studying the weapon that had brought on their demise. The black steel dagger that impaled them was ancient through well kept. Ornate designs ran along its guard and handle. The pommel held the likeness of a three headed dog.

She placed a hand over her mouth as she recalled the representation and she stumbled backward a few paces. The snow that surrounded her suddenly lost its chilling sensation being replaced with an unforgiving warmth. Fire burst up from the ground cracking the earth and burning the grass. The flames licked at her flesh but she continued to back away from its tendrils. The trees stretched skyward before sharing a likeness to city buildings, burning from within. The cracking ground burned away to reveal scorched stone and asphalt.

As she looked back and forth she found herself home in jump city. Lifeless people filled the streets as they had once done. Encased in stone at the coming of hell. Raven turned to run before knocking straight into something hard and she tumbled to the ground. Looking back up she saw the terrified stone face of what she'd come to know as her brother. Metal and flesh alike had turned to rock and his eyes sat aimed at her bringing an immense feeling of guilt. To his left was starfire in a similar position and beast boy on his right.

Terror struck her immobile as overwhelming fear ran through her blood. Despite the heat that burned her skin she felt unbelievably cold within as if her soul had been ripped from her.

"Raven?"

That voice. It should have calmed her but its inquiry seemed to only force her concerns to all new heights. Despite this she turned herself to see the boy wonder standing before her. He was alive but he wore an inquisitive look, confused by the state of his friends. Just as he opened his mouth to speak a blade burst through the center of his chest.

"ROBIN!"

—-

His body shot straight up throwing the covers from him. A cold sweat dripped from his brow as his hand was held close to the center of his chest. A lingering pain seemed to emanate from there. He could faintly remember his dream but he'd had no control. The last thing he could remember was her voice. . .

Her voice.

His eyes went wide in worry as he turned to survey the room. His fear dropped considerably as he found the beautiful sorcerous safely laying in her bed, a rhythmic rise and fall to her sheets settling his concerns. He closed his eyes and sighed as he tried to collect himself. As he grounded his mind and cleared his head he felt something. A small fraction of an emotion blossomed within him growing in strength but the strangeness of the sensation was that it felt as though it were coming from elsewhere. He felt guilt, shame, sadness and terror all within the same moment. The thoughts seemed ever present but also distant. They were not of his own making and his subconscious could somehow discern that.

Robin opened his eyes and they again fell upon the violet locks of the girl only a few feet away from him. He took time to recognize the speed of her breaths and noticed they came in rapid succession as if she were hyperventilating. Concern writ into his features as he stood and quietly made his way to her bedside. As he approached he noticed that the sheets were wrapped tightly around her. She faced away from him and one hand was firmly placed by her shoulder tightly gripping the sheets as if her life depended upon it.

He sat beside her on the bed and watched what he could of her face. He watched as her facial expressions tensed to mirror each of the emotions he'd previously felt through what he knew had to be their bond. Even with his eyes open he felt the tug of her turmoil perhaps strengthened by their close proximity. Taking his hand he placed it over her rigid one massaging comforting circles into her knuckles. He closed his eyes again trying to tap into their bond to reach her. As the darkness claimed his vision it was quickly replaced with the setting of burned buildings and ruins. His mind remembered the sight from the day the world had ended. Before him he saw one of the hooded men they'd seen so many times. As he stepped to the side it became clear that it was not himself standing there. Behind where the man had stood his own crumpled body lay bleeding out on the hard unforgiving ash. He tried to bring a hand to his chest to inspect the wound he saw but found himself unable to move. Fear began to course through him though again not his own. Looking to each side he found his arms held by the other two men as they lifted him up. He felt the rough texture of wood against his arms and back and then he felt it. Searing pain in his wrists as he watched nails being driven through them. A burning sensation began to rip through his flesh as red runes appeared. The man stepped back in front and lifted his blade preparing for his final blow. Robin fought against his mind to regain control and open his eyes, having been caught in the pale girl's nightmare. He succeeded and began to shake her awake by her shoulders.

Her breathing quickened but the pain he expected to come never did and her eyes shot open as she rolled onto her back. Robin released her shoulders trying not to suffocate her already over-stimulated mind. Her breathing continued to be erratic and her eyes darted from side to side trying to make sense of her surroundings. Robin watched helplessly as her mind worked and he felt a nearly overwhelming sense of worry wash over him. An emotion he noted to be purely his own.

Her rapid eye movement eventually halted as she caught sight of his own blue pools staring back at her. Almost immediately her breathing settled and he felt immense calm through their bond. Robin catalogued the response in his mind, intrigued by the quick and unparalleled comfort the mere sight of him had given her. Acknowledging her attention as well as recognizing what she'd seen in her dream and the trauma that had surely accompanied it he brought on hand to rub soothing circles into the shoulder closest to him and the other to hold her face and caress her cheek with his thumb. He half expected her to slap him or move away but instead watched as she turned her head into his motions accepting them. A new emotion was present and though he could not name it he sensed it was emanating from both of them.

The two sat like this for a long time, her eyes not leaving his for fear they may not be there if she closed her eyes for too long. Raven's breathing and heart rate had returned to normal and despite her fears even her eyes were beginning to struggle with staying open, only her will keeping them so. Robin studied her face taking in the many distinct features. Much had stayed the same through the time they'd known each other. Her hair was still cut around the same length and styled similarly. She still wore her ruby chakra, though hidden through her spells at times. Her eyebrows were still shaped much the same though she now had slits cut in her left brow. From his vantage point with her hair swept behind her he was also able to note a multitude of piercings on her ears.

He refocused again on her eyes. He'd failed to fully grasp the stunning beauty of her irises. Their violet hue was breathtaking even in the dim light of the room, but being so close he could see the very strands that made up their color. They each varied in shade but came together to produce that brilliant almost glowing light in her eyes that looked back at him with so much hope and kindness that many failed to see. Instinct drove his next motion, a natural drive to show his own kindness. He closed his eyes and placed a kiss on her brow. He then rested his forehead on hers for a few moments. He felt as though he never wanted to leave that spot. If their heads were eternally joined in that position he might be alright with that. He forcibly pushed the notion to the back of his mind as he drew back and noticed her eyes remained closed. He smiled down at her, the serenity of her peacefully sleeping form brought him such a sense of happiness he'd not felt before.

He caressed her cheek one last time before attempting to withdraw but found his hand trapped within her own. Her eyes opened and looked back at him with a fear that broke his heart. She looked away from his eyes as she whispered.

"Please, don't go."

Her plea came with a heavy feeling of guilt on her mind. Robin smiled at her before removing his hand. She sorrowfully smiled back before turning away to her side fighting back tears in her defeat and embarrassment. To her surprise though the weight behind her did not leave the bed but instead shifted to be more evenly distributed. She felt her heart stop as the sheets were lifted up behind her and his body moved in beside hers. His bare chest pressed up against the exposed skin of her back offering her warmth and an arm snaked it's way around her waist pulling her in close. In that moment she felt so safe, more so than she'd ever felt before. The tears that had previously threatened to fall down her face retreated and she released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding in a relieving sigh. She closed her eyes as sleep began to take her. The last sensation she felt before she fully drifted off was that of a light kiss being placed on the back of her neck. Then he nuzzled against her as he too settled in for the night.

—

Three sets of heavy metal footsteps sounded through the street. The tell-take signs of trouble lit onlookers instincts to run and hide. The three men that walked down the street carried a sinister aura with them further justifying the motions of the citizens.

"What a lovely town, brother. I feel that it is missing something though. . ."

Jacob lips curled into a terrifying smile.

"Fire. . ."

As the word left his mouth the ground before him shook and cracked. He traced the lines of violet magic back to their source settling his eyes on a young pink-haired girl. His smile continued to grace his face and grew slightly wider and his sharp teeth began to show. A blur shot across his vision before a man stood beside the girl dressed in yellow and red.

"Don't get ahead of yourself there Hot Head. "

The young man smirked back at the dark foreboding figures, pleased with his entrance. The other brothers mirrored Jacob's expression with smiles of their own, excited for another opportunity to fight.

"You 'Heroes' do love to talk. Perhaps you'd accomplish more if you took action."

As if on cue the young man disappeared in a trail of blur and the girl began moving her arms with great purpose. Subtle hand signals tied with arcane meaning gave way to magical hexes being thrown in their direction. Each wave of energy hit something different causing all manor of unfortunate events. The running car to his left switched into gear heading towards him, the asphalt beneath him cracked, and the lamp post above him began to collapse under it's own weight. Jacob recognized each of these occurrences but kept his eyes trained on the young girl, calmly stepping forward. The satisfied grin on the girl began to deteriorate as her attacks proved pointless. A black aura bent the lamppost the other way, the car turned hard and missed him, and the asphalt seemed to reknit itself together with each step he took. She began throwing her bad luck into the ground before him with as much force as she could muster, hoping to strike him with the earth. To her dismay each hex seemed to do nothing as if it never reached its destination. As he got closer to her she began to get frantic throwing a hex directly at him. To her astonishment the purple wave of energy stopped dead in it's tracks with a black aura enveloping it until it dissipated into nothing. Fear took hold of her, realizing she had no means to fight him. She tried to turn and run but she could not move. Upon looking down she found hands made of black energy latching onto her and pulling her body into the ground.

"KID!"

She shouted with Jacob only a few feet away. Kid Flash, whom had been doing his best to fight the other two brothers immediately turned at her scream. Seeing her distress he rushed to her aid unleashing a torrent of light-speed punches against Jacob's armor but found they made no change. Each time his fist came close to his body it seemed to hit a field of black energy. Kinetic energy seemed useless and the demonic man continued to move towards the girl. As soon as he was close enough he took her by the throat and held her up in the air. Kid flash halted his attack as fear immobilized him.

"For dust thou art. . ."

Flash saw the blade too late and Jacob plunged the dagger into her chest.

"And unto dust shalt thou return. . ."

Her skin slowly began to solidify turning into stone. She continued to fight the process kicking and yelling.

"Run! Get the titans!"

She just barely got the last word out before her body fully succumbed to the curse. Jacob balanced the newly crafted statue on the ground careful to ensure that she did not tip over or fall.

"Funny how an old verse written centuries ago can hold such truth."

As the last word rolled from his tongue he looked directly at the horrified face of the young man. Jacob offered his smile in its terrifying grandeur but rather than causing fear the expression seemed to tip the balance to anger. He charged with as much speed and strength as he could muster and just as he was about to make contact with the demons face his entire body was halted by a hand crushing around his throat. He pulled at the mans hands trying to escape but found no quarter.

"I wonder how many daggers it will take to keep you still."

Fear welled up within him. A split second passed before he knew what he needed to do. His body began vibrating with great intensity and the very particles that made him one began to separate allowing him to escape the soul crushing grip he was in. As soon as he escaped he was off running down the street toward the bay and titans tower. Jacob smirked as he turned to his brothers.

"It's time to get ready for the homecoming."

He lifted a hand up and fire lit his fingertips.


	16. First Reunion

"Booyah! In your face grass stain! You can't beat that!"

Beast boy groaned in response as he dramatically threw his head back tossing his arms and a controller up in the air.

"I get it, okay? You own rainbow road."

Cyborg grinned at the statement as he continued to navigate the game screen readying the system for another friendly competition.

"But I'll still whoop your ass in Smash. . ."

A sudden gust of wind silenced the green boy's words as a few stray pieces of paper floated down to the ground. Both of the young men took a minute to process what had happened when they recognized Kid Flash standing before them.

"Yo, Kid. Whats up?"

Cyborg spoke in his usual tone. Awaiting a response he began to study Kid's face noticing the rigidity of his features solidified in an expression of terror. Realizing something had to be going on he stood and rephrased his question with a more concerned tone. Kid took a shaky breath and started speaking at the same rate of his sprint.

"ThesethreeguysshowedupandwereabouttostartwreckingtheplacesomeandJinxtriedtostopthembuttheystabbedherandnowshesmadeoutofstoneandIdontknowifshesdeadorifIcouldhavedonesomethingor. . ."

"Woah, Woah, Woah! Kid slow down. Take a breath and tell us what happened."

Kid did as instructed and took a deep breath, holding it a few seconds to calm his mind.

"Okay. . . There were these three men that were talking about setting fire to the town. . . Jinx and I went to stop them but they. . ."

He stopped and covered his mouth as he began to hyperventilate. Cyborg walked up to him placed a comforting hand on his shoulder to ground him. Beastboy, now attentive, sat on the coach awaiting the rest of the story. After a few seconds Kid gathered his strength to continue.

"They stabbed her. . . and then she turned to stone. . ."

Shock hit both of the titans Cyborg just blankly staring back at Kid.

"I don't know if she's alive or what but. . ."

Kid didn't have the chance to finish as the alarm went off. A map of the city appeared on the big screen and zoomed in to the location of the trouble. A report began to feed in on the side column of the image listing 3 people involved. Cyborg clicked into motion as Starfire flew into the room. Beastboy immediately stood and each of them looked to their stand in leader. Cyborg returned their look before settling back on Kid.

"Let's go figure this out. Titans Go!"

—

Darkness.

A kind darkness, warm. Not cold and consuming like the dreams she'd had so often of late. She felt this kind of warmth enveloping her body, protecting her from the void. Safe within her dreams for once. As with all things even the good comes to an end. She could feel the light of day clawing at the edges of her eye-lids begging to wake her and bring her to life. As much as she wanted to remain in serenity she knew she could not escape the day.

She did not immediately open her eyes, instead reveling in the warmth that persisted as she awakened. She thought the sensation strange but ignored it for the moment. Finally her eyes blinked open, their vibrant violet color consuming the light of the room as her brain constructed the reality. Rays of sunlight, still low in the sky, pierced the thin curtains and bathed the room in morning glow. She took in the room around her and tried to think if anything seemed misplaced. She struggled to remember anything from the night before until she noticed something odd.

A hand stuck out from beneath her pillow only a few inches from her face. 'Is that mine?' She thought but began to move her fingers noting that the hand in question did not move. Her right hand seemed to move freely but her left seemed to be constrained by something. That's when she noticed an arm around her waist pinning her hand in place. She felt her face begin to redden as the events of the night replayed in her mind.

She recalled the tender moment of his piercing blue eyes staring holes into hers as their bond stood fully opened. Perhaps they'd not realized it but she'd lowered her guard to him completely and utterly. Never had she let anyone into her mind willingly and the thought of her begging him to stay with her only made her blush deepen.

She became hyper aware of the person directly behind her. The soft breaths tickling her neck. The tender yet strong grip around her waist pulling her against his chest so that she could feel the hard ridges of his abs against her exposed lower back.

The redness of her cheeks deepened in shade with each realization of their close proximity. Each touch and movement that caressed her skin caused it to burn with a strange sensation. She fought to focus but found it difficult until she noticed an object floating in her view. A photo frame, once on the dresser by the bathroom, began to float towards the middle of the room. As it moved she noticed other objects following the same pattern each enveloped in her black aura. Her mind scrambled to take control but she found the objects only moved faster beginning to fly in circles around the room.

"Raven?"

His breath was hot on her neck and all at once everything froze. Her heart seemed to stop, the objects floating throughout the room paused. She thought it was all about to explode in the mess of her emotions but she felt and overwhelming calm seat itself in her mind. Through the bond his soothing stability helped her regain command and she was able to replace all the items in a moment. When all was righted she felt herself physically relax again. At that moment the bed shifted beside her and Robin sat up beside her. Looking over her right shoulder she watched as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned before stretching out his arms. His face looked so serene and unburdened, a stark contrast to the normally controlled and focused nature it usually held. She wondered if that's how he always looked when he woke up in the mornings. An unsolicited voice sang within her mind, 'maybe we should find out' and she shut her eyes noting that she needed to berate someone the next time she visited nevermore.

After her brief time with her thoughts she too sat up swinging her legs over the side of the bed in an attempt to keep herself from staring at her leaders chiseled torso. The thought reminded her of her own nakedness as she recognized she was clad in only a pair of boy shorts and bra. She moved quickly yet quietly off the bed as to not draw attention and pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. She tried her best not to think on whether there were eyes on her but when she turned around and found that Robin was still in the process of putting on his own shirt she felt her anxiety ease itself.

That ease proved fleeting as their communicators began to ring. Raven's sat atop her bag against the far wall so Robin was the first to answer. Flipping the small device open to a familiar bald-headed face.

"Cyborg, is everything alright?"

Raven couldn't see the face of her teammate but could hear the exasperation in his voice.

"We got trouble here, we need you guys back ASAP."

Robin's features turned to heavy concern as he focused on the small screen.

"Whats going on?"

There was a moment of silence before Cyborg replied as if he needed to gather his thoughts before responding.

"Remember that picture we got from your old mentor? Those guys showed up and it's not good."

Robin's eyes left the communicator to look at raven. Her face was blank but her eyes spoke volumes of her inner terror. He looked back to cyborg again.

"What do you mean it's 'not good'? What's happened?"

Cyborg sighed heavily.

"Kid flash said Jinx might be dead. . ."

Robin's mouth hung open. He felt as though the statement had knocked the wind out of him. He glanced at raven again who now showed a slew of emotions on her surface. A hand cupped her mouth covering her shock and her brows were raised as well. She didn't return his gaze as she seemed to be staring off into space.

"Alright, we'll be there shortly."

*Click*

—

The green dinosaur charged again, unyielding in its crash course toward the heavily armored man. As he was moments away from making contact he felt the ground give way beneath him and he tumbled a few feet before the changeling morphed into a hawk and flew up and out of the new pothole.

He repositioned at a different angle and this time transformed into a rhinoceros and began his charge in earnest. He neared his target and instead of falling as he had before he felt a hard piece of metal stop him. Looking up he saw that the man had drawn his sword and was holding him at bay by his horn. He pushed with all his might but the man proved stronger. He pushed him back a pace and as he lurched forward again he took hold of his horn and lifted him up by the head before slamming him on the ground on his back. As he lay there, attempting to collect his thoughts he saw stars circling his head before they were blasted away by an alien princess passing by.

She sped past as she dodged another object being tossed in the air towards her. Each came closer than the last getting dangerously close to striking her from the sky. She rolled and turned headed straight for her assailant and readied a bright green bolt in her hand. she released it as she passed but it never made contact, instead one of the objects chasing her fell and she looked back to see him catch the fiery bolt of energy and swing it back in her direction. She refocused on moving forward and evading the attacks.

"COME ON!"

A blast of blue energy made contact with a black energy shield in the center of the battlefield. After a moment of continuous firing the beam let up as the cybernetic man stared down the eldest of the warriors.

"ARE YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE OR ARE YOU GONNA FIGHT?!"

The man laughed at the goading comment.

"Perhaps if you showed me you were worthy of it."

Cyborg gritted his teeth as anger welled up within him at the challenge. Just as he was about to charge forward a black aura appeared on the ground before him. He aimed his cannon at it, ready for whatever came out but was surprised to see a raven shaped shadow erupt and his two friends emerge.

Robin and him shared a brief glance before they turned to face down the warrior. The armored man grinned viciously at Raven.

"Oh good, I was tiring of the opening act."

He began to walk toward the trio. Cyborg made to move forward but robin held him back.

"No, you two help the others, I'll hold him off for now."

Cyborg nodded immediately but raven lingered, her eyes pleading with him to be careful. As if reading her mind he offered an understanding smile and nodded before producing his sword from his birdarangs and rushing off toward the hooded man.

Raven moved to help Starfire in her fight against the smallest of the three brothers. She lifted her arms and fought for control of the objects chasing Starfire. While she could not gain full command she was capable enough to move them off their mark and free up her comrade to attack the thin framed man.

Starfire launched bolt after bolt in a heavy barrage until the objects chasing her dropped from the sky and a barrier appeared around him, shielding him from the incoming fire.

On the other side of the street the largest of the three kept busy dodging cannon fire as Beastboy charged at him over and over again as different large animals. Each swipe he managed to defend but between the two opponents he was unable to orchestrate effective attacks.

"So, are you her Knight? How chivalrous."

The man drew the sword from his back as the leader of the titans leapt forward in a downward strike. He easily parried it and used the energy to propel his blade into an attack at his left side. Robin guarded and the metal weapons clanged loudly.

"Why are you here?! What do you want?!"

He shouted as they continued to trade blows, neither gaining the advantage.

"I want nothing more than a family reunion. Is that really such a bad thing?"

The two caught swords in the center and brought them close to each other as they tried to overpower the other.

"It is when your father wants to destroy the earth."

Robin forced forward breaking the standstill and lashing out with a few swings. Each was met with a dodge or parry before they found themselves back at center fighting for dominance. The hooded man wore a terrible grin on his face.

"So protective."

His eyes trailed to the girl floating just a few meters away and robin followed the gaze for a split second.

"Too bad the betraying bastard has to die."

His words triggered an overwhelming surge of anger. Robin pushed forward through the standstill again and raised his sword to attack but his opponent was prepared. With his chest undefended the man swung his great sword with unbelievable force. Robin was quick to react but the blade was far too long to completely evade. The tip bore its way through his uniform and a few inches of flesh as it passed. The man sidestepped as Robin's body went into a brief shock and he fell to the ground. Blood gushed from his new wound and while he could tell it wasn't a fatal strike, the gash was deep and was bleeding heavily. The pain still rendered him immobile and bound him to stay in his knelt position.

The bond carried the excruciating pain to Raven and she felt it rip through her like it was her own flesh being cut. She turned immediately to see the the boy wonder clutching his new wound above a growing pool of crimson liquid. Her heart only raced faster as the man beside him lifted up his arms with blade in hand, ready for the final strike. She moved faster than she even know she could. She escaped into her soul and flitted through the ground before emerging as a shadow between the man and his prey. She extended her arm as she rose and black talons emerged from her hand catching the blade as it fell.

"Sister dearest, how good of you to join me."

He sneered through his sharp teeth. The look only filled her with contempt as she snarled back at him and tossed away his blade like it were a small toy.

"Who are you?"

She spoke through gritted teeth, lamenting the idea of actually speaking to the man who'd plagued her night terrors for so long. Despite this she couldn't turn down her best opportunity to learn more. The man continued to sneer at her almost condescendingly.

"I suspect you already know. . ."

He side stepped and began slowly walking around her. Raven stood her ground but kept her eyes trained on him, wary of her pained friend behind her.

". . . Alas, I will give you a proper introduction. We are 'Family' after all."

The emphasis he placed on that word, 'Family', seemed so venomous to her.

"I am Jacob, Eldest of the three heads but only slightly younger to you, dear sister."

He bowed before her in a courtly manner though never fully lowering his head as he watched her. Her scowl never faltered, never showed the layer of fear that lay beneath the porcelain surface.

"The brutish one. . ."

He glanced at the large man now wrestling for dominance with Cyborg and the gorilla form of Beast Boy.

". . . is Jared. Our youngest brother. . ."

He gestured to his other side where star fire had progressed to trading star bolts for shots of dark energy.

". . . is Jesse. We've been waiting a long time to finally meet you."

He smiled at her, his teeth fully bared. Raven continued to let rage well up within her. While she would normally fight to keep her down she knew it was the only side of her that could possibly hope to standup to her newfound siblings.

"The meet and greet has gone on long enough. It's time for you to leave."

She spoke forcefully as she tried to mask her inner terror. Images of her dreams appeared in flashes as she blinked but she held on to the soothing calm that still made it through the muddied pain of her bond. Jacob chuckled at her words, unsettling Raven as she tensed up.

"But we've only just arrived and there's so much we have yet to do. . ."

He stopped his pacing just a few feet to her left. She watched his eyes linger on the man behind her. His grin widened as he mentally plotted killing his prey. Raven sidestepped obscuring his view. The action annoyed him as his face switched to one of anger.

"You needn't worry. Father asked to keep him alive. He said he wants to repay him for his false hope."

The words broke her. Rage bubbled to the surface and took control. Four red eyes emerged from beneath her blue hood and she charged with black talons. Jacob must have expected her attack as he sidestepped out of the way. As he expected to out wit her he prepared to strike but was surprised when she turned about almost immediately throwing a claw at his face. Her talons met flesh leaving deep cuts across his left eye. He recoiled from the attack and staggered a few feet cupping his face with his left hand. Raven stood, rage still close to the surface as she watched him. He pulled his hand away noting the blood before looking back at raven, a new malice in his red eyes.

"I've waited a long time for this."

He raised his hand before her as an aura of magic engulfed it. Within that moment her entire body seized in the black magic and she was unable to move. As she struggled panic began to set in. No matter how hard she thrashed about his magic was too powerful and she could not break free. His grin widened at her squirming and he began to tighten his grip. In response to the motion she felt the aura begin to shrink in size crushing her body along with it. She could feel nothing, no friction or material, save for the excruciating pain that now accompanied her flesh being compressed. After a few seconds she could audibly hear the sound her bones cracking under the pressure.

She cried out in pain and everything stopped. When it did she opened her eyes she found his deranged expression changed to surprise. Looking down she noticed a familiar yellow and red blade coated in blackened blood sticking through his gut. The sword withdrew and Raven was released from the death grip.

She thought she would feel relief but instead the following motion of falling to the hard pavement only aggravated her broken and battered bones even further. She cried out again as she hit the ground and within a moment Robin was beside her. He looped an arm under her legs and around her waist as he picked her up, struggling against his own wound to do so.

"Titans, fall back!"

He yelled. Their allies were quick to disengage and respond as Starfire immediately searched out cyborg, lifting him away from the battle. Beastboy transformed into a pterodactyl picking up Robin and Raven before heading off in the direction of titans tower.


	17. White Knight

A loud hiss broke the silence of the room allowing the large metal door to slide open as Robin walked into the medbay. Cyborg briefly looked over his shoulder to see who was there but returned to his work soon after noticing his leader.

"Hey, any word back from Kid?"

Robin shook his head as he stepped up beside where Cyborg was standing, eying the text constantly streaming across the holographic interface before him.

"Not yet. It's a long run to Steel City from here though."

Cyborg nodded not taking his eyes from the glass window covered in data before him.

"Yeah. I hope he checks in soon, I'm starting to get worried."

Robin placed a comforting hand on Cyborg's shoulder who once again turned to look at him. Robin offered a somber smile. Not knowing whether Bee was safe was definitely a stressor for Cyborg and Robin knew it. The two sighed heavily. Robin moved his gaze beyond the medical data in front of him to look through the glass at the pale empath hovering above her bed. Her body looked so peaceful as it floated there but Robin could feel the little strands of pain trickling through their bond. He was getting better at recognizing it but knowing even a fraction of the pain she was experiencing was torment to his soul. He wished he could reach out and take it all away from her just as she had done for him.

"How's she doing?"

Robin asked, trying to hide the level of his concern. He already knew it was bad, he just wanted to know how bad.

"Well.. not great."

Robin's heart dropped but he waited for him to continue.

"Almost every bone in her body is either bruised like hell or cracked. I don't know how long it will take her to heal all the damage."

Robin sighed knowing her healing process. It would be faster than that of a normal human but exponentially more painful and intense. A hand absentmindedly travelled to linger on the wound he'd received only an hour ago. The cut wasn't life threatening but the 8-inch long gash proved painful making it difficult to move even with the patch job he'd managed to hide from the rest of the team. Robin leaned forward with his hands on the window sill and his head hung low.

"I should have been stronger. I should have been able to protect her. . . I knew what they could do."

The last few words fell from his tongue as a whisper intended for no one save for himself. His righteous fury was trained inward as he fought against his own failures.

"You knew?"

The hushed words were not as silent as perhaps he had thought.

"What do you mean, 'you knew'? What's been going on with you two?"

A sigh left Robin's parted lips as he contemplated the answer he'd give. He had half a mind to lie to the towering man but Cyborg was one of his closest friends. If anyone could understand it would be him. Not to mention that the metal man could smell a fib more reliably than a lie detector.

"For the last few months Raven and I have been having similar dreams.. all of them are centered around her and those three men in that image bru.. Batman sent us."

Cyborg nodded as he listened. Thankfully he seemed to miss the near slip.

"So you've known about these guys since before the league contacted us?"

Cyborg was clearly bitter but Robin hoped he could see through his own anger.

"They're referred to as the dog of Hades, the Cerberus triplets. They're Ravens half-brothers."

All semblance of his anger was succeeded by pure shock. His mouth stood open a bit as he switched his gaze from Robin to the young empath.

"You mean to tell me that Trigon has other kids? I guess that would explain their powers."

Robin nodded and Cyborg turned back to look at him.

"Cerberus.. that's Greek mythology, right?. So is that why you two went on that trip? To find out more?"

Robin nodded again before providing a greater explanation.

"We didn't find out much more than what I was able to dig up from here but we were able to confirm the connection."

Cyborg nodded as he processed the information and tried to think of his next question.

"So do you know what they want with her?"

Robin tensed up, remembering the details of their dreams.

"I'm not sure... the dreams never ended well though."

Cyborg looked back at him with a perplexed expression.

"What does that mean?"

Cyborg never got his answer. The display before him began to flash red signifying something was wrong with Raven. He quickly tapped away at the holographic interface before studying the heart rate monitor and noticing it was steadily increasing.

"What's going on?"

Robin asked concern embedded in his face. Cyborg shook his head.

"I don't know, her heart rates jumping up. It's almost like she's stressed or scared."

Robin turned his eyes back to her taking in the pained expressions that began flashing on her normally serene features. Her body began to tense up and went rigid for a few moments before she completely dropped out of the air landing on the bed with a thud. At that exact moment the heart rate monitor flatlined. Robin's eyes went wide as he ran into the room.

"Raven!"

He was by her side in a flash and Cyborg followed in quickly after. Robin checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one though it remained fast. Cyborg, upon inspecting the equipment hooked up to her concluded that her powers had fried them. Robin took hold of her right hand in a vain attempt to comfort her. The physical connection instead opened up their bond so that he could feel the full brunt of her emotions and pain. The feeling of her wounded bones was nearly overwhelming but the strong impression of fear was so much stronger. It scared Robin to think of all she was experiencing alone.

Suddenly her she shot up panting heavily and looking around the room. As soon as she found Robin her eyes stayed glued to him.

"Raven, what's going on?"

When she'd awoken the open connection between them had been clamped off but he could still see the terror in her eyes.

"They're here!"

As she said that the tower shook as if a bomb had gone off. Robin and Cyborg struggled to stay standing, the former using Raven's bed for support. Once the tremor stopped Cyborg tapped away on his arm.

"They're in the tower! BB and Star are already fighting in the operations center."

Robin looked up from Raven to nod before returning to look at her petrified face.

"We'll take care of them."

Robin forced courage into his words with a small comforting smile but based on her expression he could tell it did little to comfort her. He reached over to the side table and grabbed her communicator before handing it to her.

"If anything tries to get in here, call us."

She didn't nod she just continued staring back at him. Knowing they needed to get moving robin turned and followed cyborg out of the room. Cyborg hit a button on the wall and steel blast doors fell into place locking her within. Raven closed her eyes as she fought her inner fear. She wanted to believe in her friends but after their last encounter she was doubtful they would succeed.

—

Robin and Cyborg ran into the room to find Starfire and Beastboy already fighting. Two brothers fought while the third stood still, watching as they entered the room. Robin stared down Jacob with a confused look. Only an hour prior he'd shoved a blade straight through his chest. He was still dealing with the repercussions of his own wound but to see him standing there as if nothing had happened concerned him greatly.

"Ah, the white knight returns."

He chuckled to himself as he began stepping forward. Cyborg immediately trained his cannon on him.

"How the hell. . ."

Robin thought out loud. The words carried and Jacob spoke as if he'd heard his thoughts only a moment earlier.

"You honestly thought a simple stab wound could stop a prophecy? You're more daft than I thought."

Robin ground his teeth together as his animosity for this newfound foe continued to grow. Any more and it might surpass his now stagnant hatred for Slade.

Bursts of energy exploded behind him as the fight continued to wage on. Cyborg began powering up his cannon ready to fire. Robin raised an arm stopping him before looking at him over his shoulder.

"Help the others, I can take him."

Robin nearly spat out the last words as he turned back to look at the pale man. Cyborgs eyes lingered on robin a moment with clear concern before he followed his leaders commands. As he left robin once again drew his birdarang sword while Jacob pulled his claymore from his back.

"Come now _ippótis_ , you cannot save her."

Robin charged at his opponent, adrenaline masking the pain radiating from his chest.

—-

The fight was short. The titans carried the upper hand for a short while, but the demonic magic of their adversaries proved too powerful. Robin and Cyborg were now side by side with Jacob and Jared walking towards them. Behind them, Jesse stood with a foot on top of beastboy's tired body and Starfire held in his arms with a dagger at her throat. The two remaining heroes backed up as the eldest brother moved closer.

"Father told us all about you. You're tenacity in battle, your unwavering loyalty, your false sense of hope."

Robin growled in response to Jacobs words. He stopped his advance for a moment.

"Allow us to prove how misplaced that hope of yours is."

With that he nodded to his right. Jesse drove the blade of his knife into the shoulder of the red-headed alien. An ear-piercing scream rung out through the tower as her body slowly turned to stone.

"Starfire!"

Robin and Cyborg shouted in unison. Were Beastboy not unconscious he would have joined in. Rage took over yet again and Robin charged the two brothers with his sword. He swung wildly at Jacob but his haphazard attack was easily parried. His sword hit the floor and before he could turn to defend he felt a black being pressed into his neck. At the same moment Jared charged Cyborg tackling him to the ground and pinning him there.

"Your anger is exhilarating. It fills me with power. I wonder how much emotion you'll feel with the next one."

He nodded again at Jesse who produced another dagger and jammed it straight into Beastboy's back.

"No!"

Robin screamed with a mixture of fear and rage. Beastboy let out a yelp from the pain but he was quickly silenced by the petrification process.

"Hmm.. that was lackluster. Let's try again."

He nodded at Jared but before he could take action against Cyborg heavy metal doors opened and everyone looked to its threshold. Grins appeared on the brothers while worry and shock covered the remaining titans.

"Raven, get back!"

Robin shouted. Raven stood in the doorway with a look of pure rage embedded in her features. The more she took in the room the angrier she seemed to get. If it weren't for the way she was leaned up against the doorframe just to keep standing she may have been intimidating.

"Dear Sister, how good of you to finally join us. It would have been disappointing for you to miss the whole show."

Jacob gestured to the solid stone statues of Beastboy and Starfire. Raven's rage only built up further though it didn't show apart from her demeanor. Raven struggled to step forward through the pain of her aching body, but through gritted teeth she staggered forward a few more steps.

"Leave them alone!"

Her body showed the signs of her weakened state but despite her powers working to mend her wounds, black magic sparked at her fingertips.

"Ah, but what fun would that be?"

Raven began to seeth with rage at the sight of his smirk. She quickly stole glances at Cyborg and Robin, her eyes lingering on the latter. Raven's eyes softened at the sight of blood starting to seep from the light cut on Robin's neck.

"I'll go willingly. . . If you promise not to hurt them."

Her tone was clearly defeated as she spoke. In their current standing bargaining seemed to be the only option. She couldn't stand to see her family hurt again because of her.

"How very selfless of you. Unfortunately it's not up to debate. Father wants them out of the picture."

With that he raised his dagger high in the air preparing to bring it down on Robin's neck. Before it reached its destination Raven screamed.

"NO!"

It sounded through the room and perhaps the world just as it did the day that Slade had returned. Everything stood still and the world suddenly felt colder, as if the warmth of life had been ripped away from the earth. It took her a few moments to recognize what she'd done. Once the realization hit she knew she'd only have a limited amount of time to get away. She had to move now. Looking around the room she let her instincts take over. Despite the immense physical pain she was enduring she waned her powers off healing as she lifted herself in the air. Black tendrils of dark energy shot out from her now ethereal form wrapping around each of the titans and pulling their body's to her. As they did they were consumed by her soul self and she transformed into a raven darting off through the sky. She made moves directly towards the shore before diving beneath the streets of Jump City and disappearing.


	18. Lowlife

Dim lamps burned through the musky air breathing warmth into the cold and wet place. Old red brick walls shone under the lights with dark shadows being cast by their metal casings. The sound of running water decimated any silence that could have occupied the dark halls accompanying by the occasional drip of a leak. The room was rectangular in shape with a single door near the corner of a long wall. Along that same wall sat a multitude of metal panels each covered in decades of dust. In addition to the obvious age of the room, scattered trash across the concrete flooring told a multitude of stories passing through the room.

The already dark room began to grow darker. A black silhouette started to consume the ground expanding in size as the moments passed. It wasn't long until every inch of the concrete flooring was consumed by the void and the darkness began creeping up the walls. The movement all stopped for a moment as two stone figures rose out from the ground followed quickly by the silhouette of a large bird. As it raised its wings two people came tumbling out. Each hit the earth with differing thuds as the two attempted to get their bearings before standing. As they did the dark bird began to evaporate revealing the shape of a petite girl. The light returned to the room though fleeting as it played against her pale features. As the darkness completely vanished the girl gracefully lit on the ground. Her tired eyes took in the shapes of her friends but could do little more to make sense of her surroundings. As they turned to look at her she could feel her legs begin to buckle and shake beneath her weight. Exhaustion took over as she collapsed but strong, lean arms caught her before she could hit the ground. The last thing she could hear before her mind slipped out of consciousness was her name.

"Raven."

—

He held the pale girl in his arms, his heart pounding with worry. Cyborg stood over where Robin was knelt holding her. He raised his metal arm and tapped a few time before a blue light bathed her body for a few moments before disappearing again. He let out a brief sigh.

"She's alive, just burnt out. Whatever she did back there must have really drained her."

Robin felt his emotions settle but he could still feel the tug of pain through their bond, strengthened by their physical connection.

"Yeah, I've seen her do something similar before."

The night flashed across his brain as he remembered the events that had happened. The pure rage that surged through him when he'd seen his nemesis played over in his mind. It was strange how it slowly shifted to an overwhelming sensation of concern for his friend currently cradled in his arms. As the thoughts continued to flow he looked down at her. Long lilac hair covered part of where her leotard had been ripped to shreds. He was reminded of his suspicions for what had happened that night, only strengthening his hatred for the masked man. Her hair shortened and her leotard returned to its former state as his mind slipped back into reality. Knowing the pain she'd been through made him want to take it all away. To fix everything that had ever gone wrong in her life. He still blamed himself for not saving her that night. He wasn't strong enough to defend her then and he'd failed her again today. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath in a vain attempt to clear his mind.

"We oughta find a place for her to rest."

Cyborgs words brought him back to the moment. He looked up to find Cyborg surveying the room. The tunnel they'd been deposited in wasn't particularly large. It was rectangular in shape with a single door on one of the long walls. To their left stood a few shelves filled with electronics and piping. In front of them were a plethora of pipes running from the floor to ceiling and to their right stood a shoddily built wooden landing with an old mattress on top of it. Judging by the copious amounts of trash covering the floor around it the place seemed like someone had been squatting there before. Cyborg nodded at the makeshift bed and offered to pick up Raven out of Robin's arms. He promptly declined and stood up. As he did he could feel the pain in his chest worsen as her body pressed against it. Still he fought the pain and made his way to the corner of the room where he laid her down of the mattress.

Robin only allowed his eyes to linger on her face for a moment. He swore she seemed like she was about to cry from the pain she was still experiencing even in her unconscious state. It took a great deal of might to tear his attention away and focus on the two statues standing in the middle of the room. Cyborg followed his gaze and frowned.

Neither one of them wanted to address the elephants in the room. Two of their closest allies stood enveloped in stone. Their fate seemed almost as clear to see as the dagger hilts sticking out of their bodies. Cyborg was the one to finally speak up.

"Figure I'll check and see if they're. . ."

"Dead?"

The word struck their ears drumming up the horrible thought of losing their friends to the great unknown. They both closed their eyes as they processed it in their own way before cyborg was able to continue forward.

"Yeah. . ."

The large man trudged over to the taller statue first and held up his arm as he scanned the alien girl, his head hung low as if trying to pay respect to the deceased. Robin kept his head down as well in the same state of respectful remembrance. He, unfortunately, was all too well aware of the mortality of everyone around him. As his eyes closed he could see them falling again before him. He forced his eyes to snap open and escape the memory. He sighed and noticed he'd still not heard a response from Cyborg. Looking after him he found he'd moved on to the other statue and had begun his scan again. This time his eyes were trained carefully on what was before him as if investigating something.

"What's wrong?"

Cyborg shook his head.

"According to the scan, nothing."

He tapped away at his arm again beginning yet another scan. Robin stood up and made his way to stand beside him. As he neared him he spoke again.

"The scan shows they're bodies are completely fine.."

Robin knit his brow as he looked at the metal man. Cyborg returned the stare with confused look.

"Like they're not made out of stone."

His skeptic eyes turned on the young shapeshifter before him as he reached out and tapped on the stone surface. When the knowing sound of metal hitting rock echoed through the room his frown deepened. Robin put a gloved hand to him chin in thought.

"When Trigon ascended, the citizens of jump city also turned to stone, right?"

Cyborg nodded.

"When Raven took him down they returned to normal, like nothing had ever happened. Do you think something similar could be happening here?"

Cyborg sighed as he contemplated the theory.

"I mean it's possible. I never had the chance to scan anyone though so I have nothing to compare it to."

It was Robin's turn to sigh this time. His hand continued to stroke his chin for a few moments before he relaxes and let his arm fall to his side.

"I guess we'll just have to hold out hope for them then."

Cyborg nodded. The sentiment of hope wasn't particularly comforting but they'd won battles with much less before. Neither could remember when though.

A sudden chill ran down Robin's spine forcing him to stand up straight as goosebumps covered his skin. Almost instinctually he turned searching out the pale girl in the corner of the room. His subconscious had successfully tracked the cold feeling he'd experienced back to her. He rushed to her side with Cyborg following a pace behind. Robin knelt beside her and looked over her body taking note of the goosebumps covering her legs and the visible shiver of her body from the cold. Robin started to notice that the air seemed to have gotten colder. He looked over his shoulder at metal man.

"Cyborg, can you check the temperature?"

Cyborg quirked an eyebrow at the request but complied as he tapped away on his arm.

"It's. . . 78 degrees."

He put his arm down awaiting Robin's response.

"Check it again."

Cyborg was taken aback and had half a mind to ask why but instead did as instructed. Upon looking at his arm he knit his brow together in confusion.

"It's 70 degrees now. What the hell?"

Robin looked back at Raven again as another chill racked her body causing her to shake almost violently. He could feel the ache of her rattling bones echo through their bond and it made him wince. In one swift motion he detached his cloak and laid it over her body before pressing a button laid in the seams of the article. A quiet low hum began to emanate from a device within and he could feel the warmth it started to give off. Robin waited a moment until her shivering stopped then stood again and walked past Cyborg who was just staring dumbfounded at his cloak. He finally turned to find Robin tinkering with the latch to one of three metal boxes mounted on the long wall with the door.

"What are you doing, Robin?"

He asked as he approached. Robin didn't look up from his task as he responded.

"We need to find out what's causing the temperature to drop so rapidly. If it keeps going we might be in trouble.

Cyborg looked back at their wounded friend then back to Robin as he nodded.

"This is one of the old tunnel servicing stations for the sewer system and if I'm right one of these panels should house a computer terminal."

Cyborg caught on to his train of thought bringing a grin to his face.

"Which could have a network connection to the surface. I gotcha."

Cyborg jumped to the next panel extending a lock pick from one of his fingers and beginning to work away at the latch. Robin finished opening his to find a breaker box while Cyborg made quick work of his lock. Upon opening it he found an old monochromatic CRT screen complete with an attached keyboard and power strip.

"I got it."

He shouted as he flicked the red power toggle. To his dismay nothing happened. He flicked it a few more times just to be sure then slammed a fist into the wall.

"Dammit, no juice."

He could hear a few clicks to his right.

"Let me see if this breaker can help."

After a moment of Robin flipping switches the red toggle before him began to glow from the light behind it. He grinned as he flipped it once more and the old monitor sprung to life. Lines of green text began to stream across the box for a few moments before it blacked out again leaving a singular flashing green box.

"We're in business."

Cyborg opened a panel on his arm revealing a small coil of network cabling. He removed the connector and quickly found a port on the terminal to plug it into.

"Alright, I got a connection to the cities network. Good thinking, Robin."

Robin walked up beside him.

"See if you can bring up any of the camera feeds on the surface. Check network connections to government buildings, they should have plenty of outdoor surveillance."

Cyborg nodded as he typed away on the terminal searching through the connections and camera feeds. Once he found one that worked he entered the network path into his arm. After pressing enter the camera feed displayed on his arm. The two stared on at the image of an outdoor staircase in front of the courthouse. The steps seemed shallow and rounded and something seemed to be falling from the sky.

"Is that.. snow?"

Cyborg asked with confusion. Robin pondered for a moment as a hand returned to cradle his chin. He turned to look at Cyborg.

"Check the temperature again."

He nodded and switched back to view the temperature.

"Shit, it's 23 now."

Robin looked back at Raven, the heater in his cloak still working to warm her body. Cyborg continued to loom at his arm in disbelief.

"How is that even possible?"

Robin shook his head before making his way to the door. Cyborg looked up at him as he walked.

"I'll go topside and check it out. I'll also see if I can gather some food and other supplies. Something tells me we'll be down here for a bit."

Cyborg sighed as he scratched his head still trying to think of what could cause the strange occurrence. Once he processed Robin's words he froze and looked back at the spikey-haired leader.

"Wait, if you're going out what am I supposed to do?"

Robin briefly glanced at Raven before turning to face Cyborg. Peering behind him he remembers the shelves filled with electronics on the far wall.

"See if you can put together a space heater with those parts of the temperature keeps dropping that will be the only thing keeping us alive. I'll be back soon."

With that Robin was out the door leaving Cyborg to watch over the dark bird and tinker with the decades old electronics.


	19. Cold Harbor

The air was heavy and humid as he made his way through the dark tunnels of Jump City's sewer system. It was a strange combination. The chill in the air mixed with the moisture running off from the moving water in the pipes had caused his skin to crawl in an indescribable way. He rounded another corner, following the slight gust of wind that inevitably lead to the surface. As he made his next turn his suspicions were confirmed as he witnessed a beam of light careening down the center of the hall from an open manhole above. He pulled out his grappling hook and fired, pulling him swiftly up to the surface. As his heavy boots crunched on the soft, freshly fallen snow he quickly darted to the nearest gap between buildings. Given their current circumstance it would be best to remain undetected if he could.

Once he stood safely in the dark alley he took in what he could of the surroundings. The only lights that illuminated the otherwise pitch black scene were the street lamps and neon signs lining the streets. Looking up he tried to find the moon but the two large buildings he stood between obscured his view of the night sky. Determined to find answers he shot his grappling hook into the roof of the taller building, a three story apartment complex.

He shot straight up before landing on the gravel roof of the large structure. Once there he perched himself on the corner of the building and looked out at his surroundings. From this vantage point in old town he could see the seemingly black water of the bay disappear into the darkness. He followed the horizon around toward the city finding that the lights of uptown managed to give off a fair amount of illumination to the area. As his eyes continued to follow across the landscape he became confused. Where he knew there were mountains there was now nothing. A black wall of nothingness seemed to extend upward into the sky. As he followed it he began to realize that the night held no stars at all. The wall of darkness seemed to continue on forever eventually connecting to the other side and dipping down into the depths of the ocean.

A black forcefield around the city? He closed his eyes and his mind jumped back to the night the world had ended. The way Raven had erected a similar wall around the other titans when she went to fulfill the prophecy. He absentmindedly smaller his fist down against the ground, the pain from the action resonating through his bones and wrestling him back into the present.

Robin concluded that the field was a construct of the brothers and their powers born of similar heritage. Clearly their intent was to trap them in Jump City so they couldn't escape. Robin recognized his exposed position on the rooftop and quickly stood. As he did he felt a cold chill run down his spine while cold flakes of snow lit upon his skin. He looked back up to the sky drawing another hypothesis. The wall of black energy also seemed to block out any light coming from the other side but stretched high enough into the stratosphere to enable clouds to form and, subsequently, snow to fall. Satisfied with his theories he quickly returned to the task at hand diving off the edge of the building in the direction of the nearest market place.

It didn't take him long to near the shopping center. This particular spot was much less flashy and open than the area the team normally went to. Admittedly their collective love for pizza made the busy part of uptown an easy choice with the best pizza joint in town being its centerpiece. This area was much more similar to an outdoor mall, though the stokes were close together like an indoor one. The entire area was dark with only a few old lamps lighting the walkways and fewer working signs. As he'd neared the area he'd made his way to the ground and continued his venture through the numerous alleyways that dotted old town.

He looked out into the small courtyard and quickly surveyed the area. On his right stood an old retro clothing store, the window manikins sharing the dark and brooding fashion of its namesake. To the left of that building was another alleyway and then a recreational equipment outfitter. In front of the store a few civilians seemed to be walking about almost aimlessly. He took a moment longer to watch them and see what they did. They seemed almost completely normal with the exception of their complete lack of goals. The two individuals paced back and forth as if stuck there with a predetermined path. As he continued to watch he caught a glimpse of a yelling sign. A bright red glow emanated from their irises indicating their minds had been invaded. Surely if the brothers were capable of surrounding the entire city with a barrier of magic it wasn't far fetched to think they'd be capable of controlling people's minds.

Robin internally documented their behaviors before proceeding forward and sneaking into the first store. Once inside he took stock of the available clothing being extra mindful of the minimal winter selection. Despite the lack of variety robin found himself able to find a pair of jeans, a black hooded shirt and a grey leather jacket for himself. He collected some additional clothes for the other two conscious members of his team before pulling up his hood and leaving the building.

Robin walked slowly through the courtyard and past the two civilians. His gamble for whether or not they'd take note of another civilian in civies paid off as they ignored him and he successfully entered the second store. Once inside he took off sprinting to the back of the store. He'd been to the old backpacker's haven a few times and remembered the multi-day hike backpacks towards the back right corner. His memory proved right when he caught a glimpse of the rainbow of different colored backpacks. After picking a large grey bag he got to work looking through the other sections of the store gathering supplies for survival. With his head deep in the minutia of his team's needs he failed to hear the sound of the front door opening again.

Robin made his way to the food storage portion of the store and began sweeping pouch after pouch into the top pocket of the backpack. He quickly moved on to search for a suitable gas stove. As he shuffled through the metal canisters and metal frames he once again failed to hear a different kind of shuffling behind him.

In an instant the fight began. Robin was taken by surprise as the civilian behind him let out an angry roar before charging him. He turned around just in time for the man to ram a shoulder into his chest and push him over the half-size shelf. He tumbled to the ground along with a multitude of metal gas tanks that clanked together loudly as they fell. He quickly stood up with a hand clutched to his reopened chest wound and readied himself for another attack. His attention was quickly drawn back to the front door as it opened again and three more red-eyed minions came running into the store.

"Shit."

He muttered to himself as he turned back to the task at hand. His attacker swung violently as if the action was instinctual. Robin ducked beneath the swipe and broke into a sprint toward the door. The civilians that had entered prepared to attack but to their surprise he leapt up placing a foot on one of their chests to launch him over. He landed unceremoniously on the other side as he stumbled but he was ultimately able to regain his footing and continue his sprint out the door. Drops of fresh blood trailed across the courtyard before disappearing into the alleyway he'd come from.

—

"NO!"

She shot upright against the better judgement of her body. The aches and pains of her recent battles quickly caught back up with her in a waive of discomfort and agony. She winced and cradled her crumbling ribcage with her arms in a vain attempt at comforting herself. She closed her eyes to escape it all but the red eyes of her assailants stared back at her flashing the memories of her most recent night terror. She snapped them open again as her anxiety continued to flair but a heavy comforting hand softly lit upon her shoulder. She stopped hyperventilating and slowly turned to look at her cybernetic ally. She felt herself relax a little at the sight of him but felt another part of her heart drop as if she were hoping for something else, someone else.

"Rae. You okay?"

She saw him speak as he knelt down beside her but she couldn't hear the words. It was as though he were speaking to her in a foreign tongue, the language lost on her small ears. She stared blankly back at him for a moment before her eyes wandered the room. She was searching for something but she couldn't seem to figure out what. As she sat she began to feel the chill of the air against her exposed face and hands. Confused by the warmth she felt covering her legs she cast her eyes down to find a familiar black cloth covering part of her body. Without even thinking she took it in her hands and thumbed over the soft black fabric as she turned it over in her fingertips. When she flipped over the edge of the pseudo-blanket she was nearly blinded by the bright yellow color woven into it's underside. The sight finally triggered her memory and she snapped her head up. Her eyes caught sight of Cyborgs concerned face but she frantically continued her survey of the room with newfound vigor.

"Where's Robin?"

The question seemed almost like a plea as her voice was shaky and filled with uncertainty. Her eyes continued to dart back and forth across the room as if she believed he'd suddenly appear in the place shed just looked at. Her normally self-conscious demeanor was long forgotten in her antics and the sight worried Cyborg. He hoped that answering her question would help to ease her mind.

"He went out to find supplies. Is everything okay? You woke up screaming."

He pushed again with his worry laced to his words. It seemed they'd had little effect to calm her as she now snapped her eyes directly on him. He could see the terrifying fear seated in her eyes telling volumes of her own concern.

"He shouldn't have gone out on his own, he's wounded."

She spoke forcefully and if Cyborg hadn't know her better he'd have thought she was angry. As the words left her mouth she seemed to become self aware, her fear turning to shock as a hand came up to cover her mouth and she moved her gaze to her covered legs. It took another few silent seconds before she would attempt to speak again.

"I'm sorry."

Her words were genuine. Flat, but genuine.

"It's okay."

He said simply enough. Raven could feel her anxiety starting to build up again from the combination of Robin's foolhardy mission and her mental freakout she'd just put on display for the closest thing she had to an older brother. Cyborg could tell she was sinking back into herself. In a ditch effort to evade the self-destructive process he posed another question.

"You said he's wounded, what happened?"

Raven recalled the feeling of flesh being rent in two. She felt her body physically recoil at the memory. It was then she realized she wasn't sure what had happened. She'd felt his pain but apart from seeing him doubled over on the asphalt she couldn't be sure what had transpired in those short moments. When she'd fallen victim to her brothers powers any ability she had to detect his wounds was then clouded by her own agony.

"I'm. . . not sure."

Cyborg queried an eyebrow. Raven was not normally the type of person to jump to conclusions.

"What do you mean you're, 'not sure'?"

He asked his question as genuinely as he could, the words easy to be mistaken for condescension. Raven picked up on his intent and deepened her stare at the black fabric draped over her as if it held the answers she sought.

"I didn't see it, but I could feel it."

She continued to relive the pain, the burden of her previous injuries starting to partially subside. When she'd passed out from the pain after their encounter in the street it was all she could remember as she dreamed. The memory played on repeat and her skin ached from it. She felt stuck again until Cyborgs voice brought her back to reality.

"You felt it?"

She had to shake her head to keep herself focused on answering his question. Just as she was about to respond the door swung open and a man in dark skinny jeans and a black leather jacket stumbled into the room. Cyborg immediately turned his cannon on him but the man paid him no mind, hiding beneath the hood of his green undershirt as he set a large bag down against the wall. Cyborg had consciously moved himself in front of Raven but she leaned out from behind his large stature as she felt a familiar aura.

"Robin?"

She said with a strange combination of worry and excitement. The man perked up and turned to look in their direction. As soon as he noticed the large cannon pointed in his direction he put his hands straight up.

"Woah, Cy it's me!"

He quickly tugged the hood off his head revealing his trademark black domino mask. Cyborg audibly let out the breath he'd been holding as he switched his cannon back into a hand.

"Dammit man, you scared the shit outta me."

Robin lowered his hands a bit though one stayed to scratch at the back of his neck, the tell tale sign or embarrassment for the boy wonder.

"Sorry I should have knocked her something."

Raven's head peeked out again from behind Cyborgs bulky form.

"Did you forget you're not dressed like a traffic light?"

Robin looked down at Raven as he let out a small chuckle at her dry humor.

"At least you seem like you're doing a bit better."

He said as he smiled at her. She rolled her eyes but felt a strange warmth well up within her that began to dust her cheeks with a bit of red tint. She immediately reprimanded herself for the feeling as she looked back down at his cape covering her legs. Robin didn't seem to notice her reaction as he turned his attention back to Cyborg

"Did you finish the heater?"

He nodded at the hunk of metal standing a few feet from Raven's makeshift bed as he started making his way over to them.

"Almost. I was just about ready to test it when Raven woke up."

With the statement he got back up and walked over to his contraption where he continued to tinker with it. Robin neared the wooden platform and slowly eases himself into a sitting position. As he did so Raven could feel the inklings of pain that drifted through their bond. She visibly winced in response. He was glad neither of the boys were facing her direction. She wanted to badly to reach out and heal him, to take away the pain, but she knew if she tried he'd shut her down. Especially with Cyborg in the room.

"That's should do it!"

Cyborg shouted as he flipped a switch on his device. Within a moment the coiled metal rings began to glow with life giving off heat to the room. A huge smirk covered Cyborgs face.

"Nice work, Cy."

Robin said. Cyborg stood up and faced him.

"Thanks man. So, I'm hoping new duds isn't the only thing you found up there."

Robin laughed at the comment.

"Yeah, I got a good look at what's going on outside. It looks like they put up a barrier around the city. It's blocking out the sun and causing the strange weather we're experiencing."

"Guess that kinda makes sense. Anything else interesting?"

"They seem to be using some sort of mind control on the civilians. They're on the lookout for us so we need to keep a low profile.

Cyborg nodded.

"Alright, so what's our play then?"

Robin sighed heavily as he hung his head, already lamenting the words he was about to say.

"As much as I hate to admit it, our best bet is getting that barrier down and calling for help."

"I think you're right. But how do we take that thing down? We couldn't take them all down with five of us and now we're down to three."

"We don't have to take down all of them."

Raven's voice chimed in from behind Robin. The two turned to look at her as she continued speaking.

"If the barrier is thick enough to block out the sun then there's now way just one of them is holding it."

The two nodded as they followed her train of thought. Robin turned back to Cyborg as he added onto her words.

"So if we take down one it may give us an opening to call for help."

Cyborg smirked at the idea.

"Alright, that just might work."

Robin nodded again.

"Only problem now is we need to track one of them down."

Cyborg immediately stood.

"I'll see if I can setup some sort of algorithm to find them through the city's surveillance cameras. If I'm right, there should be a law enforcement precinct nearby where I can get a faster connection. Should speed things up a bit."

Robin began to push off from his seated position.

"I'll come with. . ."

Cyborg immediately turned around with a hand in Robin's face forcing him to stay seated. With his other arm he scanned him in search of what Raven had mentioned earlier. His arm beeped a few times and he quickly glanced at Raven before looking back to the boy wonder.

"You're hurt and you're gonna get some rest."

He spoke with the finality of an annoyed parent. He rotated his arm so Robin could see the scan of his body with his chest highlighted in bright red. Robin didn't need to look at the scan to know it, he could feel the sting of the irritated wound pulsing to the beat of his heart. He sighed heavily knowing there was no way to convince him he was fine. When he tilted his head down Cyborg withdrew his arm and began tapping away on it as he walked towards the door.

"Alright, I won't be very far but I'll setup some perimeter cameras in case anything gets too close. I'll alert you if I pick up any movement"

Cyborg looked up from his arm to stare directly at Raven who returned in kind.

"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Robin rolled his eyes while she cracked a small smile. With that Cyborg left the room, his footsteps fading into the distance. After a few moments, Robin broke the silence.

"No."

Robin was annoyed. Cyborg confirming his wound was the last thing he wanted to have happen especially in front of Raven. The empath was always quick to forget herself and help others even if it meant she had to deal with immense amounts of pain. Unsurprisingly Raven followed his train of thought from his one word statement.

"Robin, let me help you."

Robin sighed, closing his eyes. The thought of her face racked with pain the day she'd healed his bullet wound was still engraved in his mind. The image haunted him and he'd made an internal vow that night to never let her do it again. Despite his silent commitment he knew she could be just as stubborn and persistent as he was at times and she wasn't prone to just drop something. That thought made him smirk. They really were a lot alike. Both looking to save the world and willing to give of themselves freely to do it. Raven didn't deserve the lot she was given, not for how kind and selfless she was.

"You don't have to feel bad."

His eyes snapped open at her words. He looked back over her shoulders to find her sorrowful eyes staring back at him.

"I wouldn't offer to help if I wasn't prepared for it."

Robin contemplated her words carefully. Some part of her words seemed insincere, a cover for something else she was feeling. He sighed again as he looked back to the ground in front of him.

"It's not wether or not you can handle it that concerns me."

He hung his head and sighed.

"You don't deserve to be punished for someone else's mistakes."

Raven felt the edge of her lip tug upward at the statement and cast her eyes downward. She appreciated the sentiment of what Robin was trying to say but inside she couldn't quite believe it. She was the bringer of Trigon The Terrible, heralded to end all mortal life. Even though she'd defeated and banished him she was still the daughter of that demon and her heritage sealed her fate. In some twisted way she felt that healing others and enduring their pain was a way of atoning for the blood running through her veins. A way to punish herself. She shook her head as she tried to focus, wary that their ever-strengthening bond could reveal thoughts she did not intend for him to hear.

"It's still my choice."

A long silence filled the room before a single word broke it.

"Ok."

Raven looked back up at him, surprised he'd agreed with so little fighting. She decided not to test her luck and remained quiet while Robin began removing his jacket and his shirt. Once he finished discarding the garments to the ground he turned and moved further onto the platform to sit against the wall and on the mattress. Raven silently followed to sit just in front of him. They exchanged a brief glance before Robin closed his eyes, allowing Raven to begin work on his shoddily wrapped wound. She could immediately tell that his attempt to wrap the laceration had been rushed as the once white cloth that covered the open gash was poking through the gaps in the bandages. While she studied his horrid first aid skills her eyes began to wander along the many lines that were scattered across his chiseled torso. Scars upon scars told tales of his past and the immense trials he'd experienced in the years fighting crime. It took every ounce of her self control to keep her fingers from tracing the old stories and searching for the memories through their bond.

Tearing herself away from her thoughts she refocused and started carefully removing the bandages, Robin moving his torso as needed to help her. When she'd finished removing the wrapping the fabric that was used to soak up the blood was still adhered to his flesh. It had turned from white to a dark crimson turning black toward the center of the wound. She steadied her hands as she peeled back the soiled cloth praying that the motion would not cause too much discomfort. When she finally removed the full piece it revealed patches of necrotic skin where infection had set in to the poorly cared for wound. She winced at the sight of it and began mentally preparing herself for what she would soon be experiencing. She began extending her hand over the wound but before she made contact she felt slender fingers wrap around her wrist, stopping her. She looked back up and into Robin's masked eyes. The same image she'd seen the night of the robbery but this time she had no promise to let her heal him.

"Let me feel it."

HIs words were strong but she could sense the sorrowful plea. Raven immediately shook her head, not willing to let her closest friend endure the pain she knew would come. He quickly spoke again.

"I can't watch you go through that again. I won't. . ."

Raven felt an emotional wave of fear and determination flow through their bond. There would be no changing his mind and Raven hesitated but finally nodded. He released her wrist and she gently pressed her soft fingers against the open wound. She felt the heat of his skin warm on her cold palm and kept her eyes on him a moment longer before she shut them tight and allowed her magic to surge. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting the man she'd come to trust most and she refused to watch as he withstood the pain of his own wounds mending. She knit her brow as she felt his body go rigid against her hand. Even as she allowed him to keep his own pain she could still feel the immense anguish bleeding through their bond. Seconds passed like hours until finally the hole in his flesh had been mended. She withdrew her hand and slowly opened her eyes to see his state. Robin was breathing heavily and his eyes were shut from exhaustion. As his erratic heartbeat and breathing slowed to a normal pace his body began to relax. The tense fibers of his muscles loosened and what little remaining energy he had dissipated as he started falling forward. Raven reacted quickly, catching his weakened body in her arms and landing his head on her shoulder. She sat there, wide eyed, for a few moments as she tried to wrap her head around her own feelings. She felt guilt for allowing him to endure such a trial but though she knew he'd chosen it. 'I can't watch you go through that again. . .' his words echoed through her mind and she shut her eyes as she hugged him tight. The warmth of the embrace brought her peace and the steady feeling of his heartbeat cooing through their bond calmed her nerves.

The two remained like this for a long time, Raven basking in his warmth and the comfort that came with his close proximity. She could never admit it out loud but she always loved having him close by. His mind served as a calm to the storm of her own emotions in times when she didn't know she needed it. As time passed Robin's body grew heavy in her arms and she gently laid him down on the old mattress. As she left the embrace she felt the cold chill of the air nip at her again, sending a shiver down her spine. She looked back at the small black cape discarded to the foot of the mattress, then back at Robin, now shivering in his place. She remembered the backpack of supplies Robin had brought in and quickly got up to make her way to the bag, her body protesting the strain on her still-bruised bones. Despite the pain she pressed on to kneel beside the bag and began shuffling through the top pocket in search of anything that could help to warm her thin frame. To her surprise she found a set of clothing, a pair of black skinny jeans and a dark grey long-sleeve shirt that both matched her size. After a quick look over her shoulder to confirm the rhythmic rise and fall of her leaders sleeping chest she carefully stripped her battleworn leotard off her weary body and replaced it with her newfound clothes. The fabric was cold as she slipped it over her bare skin but the added coverage of her legs would help to warm her body as time passed. Once she finished she looked back into the bag and found a large emergency blanket stuffed right under where the clothes had been and on top of another pair of much larger blue jeans and a black sweatshirt. She removed the blanket from its packaging and made her way back to Robin, throwing the large sheet over him before slipping under the warming fabric herself. Being so close to him she couldn't resist the draw of his warmth and she quickly cuddled up close to his body, laying her head on her bare chest. The sound of his calming heartbeat lulled her ever closer to sleep and for once all of her emotions seemed to be content. When his arm wrapped around her back, pulling her closer to him, she could feel her eyes close and her own exhaustion catch up to her as she fell soundly asleep.


	20. Love Birds

A familiar warmth engulfed her waking body, soothing the soreness still splitting through her bones. She could feel the rhythmic movements of his chest rising and falling as he cycled through deep breaths, still wrapped in the throes of sleep. She'd felt this kind of serenity before though this time she reveled in it despite knowing her proximity to the man beneath her. She was beginning to accept the calming effect his mind had on her rampant emotions and she had to admit that she kind of liked it. The feeling was liberating to know she could let her guard down and be completely open with him. He knew more about her than anyone else and still he stayed by her side. Her mind trailed back to their last night spent together, their foreheads pressed against each other as they breathed in the peaceful moment. She naturally nuzzled into the side of Robin's body even further, as if trying to get closer the warmth he radiated. Despite how much Timid wanted to deny it, he cared about her. A sentiment she'd previously thought was limited to the alien warrior princess. Hell, she had a hard time believing anyone would care to get close enough to see who she was after being manipulated by Malchior. She sighed at the memory of her heart being shattered by the deceptive dragon and curled even deeper into Robin's side. His arm, wrapped around her, tightened ever so slightly giving her the comfort she so desperately wanted and the old wounds washed away.

The peace didn't last long as the sound of metal hitting metal drew her from her thoughts. Her eyes slowly blinked open to the light of the room figuring she best wake up anyways. She pushed off his chest carefully as to not awaken him and sat up to look around the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Another clinking sound brought her attention to the large body of Cyborg hunched over a small lit camp stove in the middle of the room. Cyborg noticed her movement and offered a warm yet somehow mischievous smile. She quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Mornin love bird"

It took her all of three seconds to put two and two together and she glanced down at her still shirtless leader then back at Cyborg before rolling her eyes and easing herself off the mattress and platform. Typical Cyborg.

"You've been waiting hours to use that one, haven't you?"

He laughed and nodded as she approached and sat down beside him in a lotus position before he placed an empty bowl in her hands. Raven leaned forward to look at what was cooking in the small bubbling pot. Her internal question was answered when Cyborg scooped a hefty amount of what she'd determined was some kind of stew into her bowl and handed her a spoon. Raven took it and began eating immediately, trusting in Cyborgs cooking. As she greedily downed the food she started to realize just how malnourished and starved she felt. Over the course of the last few months she'd lost a lot of weight due to her lack of sleep and eating. Normally she was extremely fit due to their line of work and in part to her genes so the loss had a huge effect on not only her strength but her physical appearance. She was honestly surprised that no one had expressed more concern about it as she nearly looked emaciated.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes as Raven devoured as much stew as she could. After she finished the bowl and set it to the side Cyborg spoke up.

"Soo. . . How long has that been going on?"

Cyborg nodded in the direction of Robin's still sleeping body, a huge grin still plastered to his face. It took all of Raven's strength not to punch him square in the jaw.

"We're not together. . ."

Cyborg's grin faded as he watched Raven's eyes become hyper focused on the metal pot before her. The silence and intensity would be confusing to most but Cyborg understood Raven quite well. Her eyes carried a sense of longing, as if something was just out of her grasp.

"But you want to be."

Raven's eyes went wide and she glanced at Cyborg. His grin returned tenfold as he witnessed her expressIon and her cheeks immediately reddened before she refocused on the metal tin in front of her. Cyborg chuckled at her antics, knowing he'd hit a nerve and guessed right. She punched his arm playfully, though a scowl took over her features. She was frustrated with his teasing but more flustered that maybe he was right. She closed her eyes and returned her mind to just moments ago, cuddled up to his side and basking in the warmth of his defined yet soft skin. She felt a smile beginning to play on her lips but the moment was shattered when she heard movement from behind her on the mattress. She turned around to see Robin sitting up, his thumb and pointer finger pushed up under his mask in what she assumed was an attempt to wipe the sleep from the corners of his eyes.

"Morning Robin."

Cyborg called. Robin simply nodded before pushing off the platform and searching for his discarded shirt. Cyborg watched Raven's eyes follow his motions like a hawk, never missing a beat. Despite their circumstance he was happy to see that hope present in Raven's eyes. Robin pulled on his shirt and joined the group, sitting beside Raven.

"Sleep well?"

Cyborg asked, his earlier grin still present as he glanced at Raven. She snapped her eyes to him in a glare, knowing what he was trying to stir up. Robin, completely oblivious to their silent staring contest and the words shared before he'd awoken simply answered the question.

"Yeah, I did actually. I think that space heater worked pretty well cause I didn't even notice the cold."

Robin nodded at the metal object in question but Raven's cheeks grew even redder if it was possible. Cyborg had to reign in every ounce of his self control not to laugh at his response. When Robin turned his eyes to him he managed to put a normal face back on to hide what was going on.

"How about you, were you able to turn up anything?"

Cyborg's inner laughter subsided as his mood swung with the conversation to a more serious tone. Raven silently sighed knowing total embarrassment had been postponed at least for now. He shook his head.

"I got everything set up to automatically search but it will take some time to get any hits. It should let me know when it's got something."

Cyborg raised his arm and pointed at it with his opposing hand. Robin nodded in understanding.

"I set it up to search for the smallest of the three. I figure we got our best chances with him."

Robin nodded again, agreeing with Cyborgs analysis of their opponents. His eyes trained on the pot in front of him, aloof to its contents but using the object as a point to fix the menagerie of his scattered thoughts in one place so that he could piece them together.

"While we have time, we should run through what the plan is once we find him."

His eyes turned back up to look at Cyborg and Raven as he awaited their response. They both nodded and he began speaking again.

"We need to take him down as quickly as we can so we can breach the barrier and get Raven out of here."

Raven's eyes went wide a second before narrowing a bit and fixing on Robin.

"Get me out of here? I'm not just leaving you guys behind!"

She said with force and a small amount of emotion breaking through her normally level words. Robin ignored it, keeping his demeanor calm and collected as he spoke.

"Someone needs to get out and contact the league and you're the one they're after. It's the best option."

Raven shook her head as she grew a bit more wroth with him.

"No it's not. Even if I get out, the league won't listen to me!"

Robin quirked an eyebrow and Cyborg turned his attention on her as well. She went wide eyed remembering that she'd never told them about what had happened between her and the league. She shrunk under the combined gaze of her allies.

"Why wouldn't they listen to you?"

Raven shook her head and sighed.

"Let's just say that they already know what I am and the last time I saw them they were more interested in locking me up than listening."

Both the boys mouths dropped at the revelation and Raven did her best to ignore their reactions. It was much more complicated than that and with a lot more strings attached but it summed up what they needed to understand in that moment. Robin was the first to shake the shock off and return to the conversation.

"Fine. Then Cyborg goes with you. He can get you somewhere safe and reach out to the league himself."

Cyborg snapped back into the moment as he turned his eyes back on Robin.

"Woah woah, hey now. I ain't just leaving you here to fend for yourself..."

"I promised to protect this city and it's people. I'm not leaving here while there's still a threat but I need you two to get out and get help. I can keep them distracted while staying out of trouble."

Cyborg and Raven continued to glare at Robin, one annoyed at his stubborn attitude and the other at his overprotective nature. Despite how much they wanted to argue their points it seemed that their leader had already made up his mind and all things considered it wasn't a terrible plan, just not ideal. After a few seconds of persistent silence Cyborgs arm beeped. He raised it to check the notification.

"We got him. South side of town."

Robin immediately stood up.

"Let's get started."

—

"Here. The camera that tagged him is just up these steps."

Cyborg nodded at the nearby staircase as they made their way across the ground floor of the parking garage. Robin was the first to reach the stairs, stopping for a moment and turning to face the other remaining titans.

"Keep your head down and stay quiet. We don't know if he's moved since we left."

Raven and Cyborg nodded before following the acrobat swiftly up the concrete steps. After three flights of stairs, one before the rooftop level, the three poured out of the stairwell and made their way towards the south east corner of the building, hugging the full concrete railing the whole way. Once they reached the corner Robin slowly peaked his head up over the barrier to observe the scene. The parking garage they'd entered stood on the south east corner of a small surface street and right next to the southernmost part of the freeway system. The street ran over the freeway via a small, one-lane, overpass and in the middle of it stood their target. The iron-clad warrior floated in a lotus position, disturbingly similar to the way Raven meditated. Robin ducked back behind the half wall and slid down it with his back until he sat beside Raven and Cyborg.

"Alright, he's still there. Looks like he's in some sort of meditative state holding up the force field."

Cyborg nodded and turned to Raven as she spoke.

"He'll probably be able to hold the barrier without meditating but it will drain him."

Robin nodded in agreement to her insight.

"Then here's our play. Cyborg and I will try to take him out quick but if that doesn't work, we need to bide our time and wear him down."

Cyborg offered a thumbs up at the plan and Robin turned to Raven.

"I need you up here to keep a look out. Signal us if anyone else shows up and if things go wrong. . ."

Robin didn't say the word, but she could finish his sentence by the intense gaze he gave her.

'Run.'

Her heart shivered from the cold idea. She could barely handle the thought of staying back while they fought her battles but abandoning them just to save herself was something she never wanted to think of again. She shut her eyes as if to shut the idea out but found it persisted through her mind until Robin spoke again.

"Alright. Cyborg, let's go."

She snapped her eyes open to watch Cyborg turn and make his way back to the stairs. Robin lingered a moment but eventually moved to do the same. In a split second she made the decision to stop him. For what, she wasn't really sure, but her hand shot out to take ahold of his wrist. He stopped dead in his tracks, the feeling of her cold slender fingers on his warm skin offering a strange contrast. He turned about to face her again and found her violet eyes shaking as they stared back into his masked ones. He could feel the fear pouring off her mind through their bond. The emotion paired with her terrified expression was almost too much. Raven quickly caught on to herself and looked away at the ground, retracting her hand to nervously tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Just. . . Promise me you'll be careful."

Her voice was shaky and uneven, telltale signs of her rising anxiety. The thought worried him and Robin felt a somber smile spread across his lips as he immediately reached out his hand to cup her face, tracing the soft skin of her cheekbone with his thumb. The feeling shocked her and she turned back to look at him. After a brief glance Robin pulled her head toward him until their foreheads were pressed together. Raven placed a hand over Robin's on her cheek while his other hand found her free one squeezing it reassuringly.

"I promise. . . I'll come back to you."

His whispered words were so simple though they said so much. It wasn't a bland acceptance of her advice or a leaders hopeful speech but a simple yet sincere promise made solely for her. She nuzzled into his hand as she fought her internal emotions to accept the words he'd said. She wanted to stay there, his warm breath mixing with her own as their hands mingled together. Unfortunately the moment would be ripped away from her as Robin pulled away.

Their hands lingered together for a moment before Robin fully broke away, offering her another small smile before turning to follow Cyborg down the staircase. Raven allowed her eyes to follow him until he escaped beyond her vision. She then closed her eyes, to revel in the reassuring feeling of his heart beating through their bond. The world was falling apart again and the simple rhythm of life pumping through his veins seemed to be the only solid rock she could find amid the cataclysm. Just as it was when she'd ended the world, he remained hopeful and strong for her.

'I'll come back to you'

The words continued to echo in her head as she imagined his icy blue eyes staring back into hers.

"You better."

She whispered to no one in particular.


	21. Change of Plans

The steel door slid open and closed as the tail end of a billowing black cape cleared its threshold. The man walked with poise and purpose, his squared shoulders almost as sharp as his intelligence. As he rounded the corner of the short hallway and entered another room, his eyes were drawn through the double paned glass to the strange alien he'd spoken with only moments ago.

"So. . ."

He snapped his eyes to the other man in the room.

"Did you get anything useful?"

He nodded and made his way to the computer mounted on the windowed wall where he began typing.

"They have no recollection of the attack."

The second man creased his brow.

"'No recollection'? They just laid siege to the watchtower for 3 days!"

The first man shook his head.

"And they were winning when they surrendered."

The second man narrowed his eyes in a glare. The thought that the greatest heroes of the watchtower almost lost to an army of mercenaries didn't sit well with him. The first man looked back over his shoulder at the second for a moment.

"Clark there's something more going on here. This is the fourth individual I've interrogated and none of them remember anything from before the surrender."

Superman took a deep breath, clearing his mind and relaxing his brow. With fingers massaging the bridge of his nose in an attempt to de-stress he proceeded.

"So. . . What do you think is going on then?"

The dark knight shook his head.

"I can't be sure, but it seems like someone was controlling them, forcing them to fight. If that's the case the question is why would they relinquish control when they were so close to victory."

In that moment a streak of red stretched into the room before ending at a thin built man in a red jumpsuit.

"Batman, sorry to interrupt but I have something you may want to see."

The caped crusader glanced at Superman for a moment before nodding at the flash and stepping away from the computer he was using. Taking the hint the flash moved to the computer and started typing furiously until an image popped up on the screen. He moved out of the way, motioning for Batman to take a look. He leaned in to study the image and his jaw dropped as he recognized what he was seeing.

"My god."

—

The sound of three metal disks scraping across the cold uneven ground echoed through the empty street gathering the attention of the armored half-demon. Two of his four red eyes cracked open, studying the three black and gold objects that had skidded to a halt just a few feet before him. He lowered his legs as he turned to face them when the disks suddenly jumped into the air. Within a split second a blue light appeared from behind them before engulfing the objects and expanding the spectacle into an explosion of blinding energy. The resulting light lingered long enough to illuminate the dust as it kicked off the street shrouding the area in gray particles.

Robin stood at the ready, his bo staff drawn and his eyes narrowed as he tried to make out any shapes beyond the hazy cloud. Cyborg stood next to him, his sonic cannon primed and prepared to follow Robin's lead. After a few moments the dust finally began to settle revealing the iron-clad soldier standing with his arms together shielding his face and body. Cyborg grit his teeth, disappointed that their surprise attack had been unsuccessful. Jesse stood up straight moving his hands to the side as he took in his new foes. His face was writ with anger and adorned with a new red gash on his left cheek only adding to the rage welling inside the young half-demon. He drew his sword without question and Robin charged, ready to exact his own fury. Two swipes parried by the swordsman before the third scraped up the blade to the hilt where they held for a moment, glaring at one another. Jesse cracked a smirk before he pivoted his wrist catching the other side of the staff with his hooked guard and ripping it out of Robin's hands to throw behind him. As he completed the motion and spun around he placed a hard kick to Robin's chest sending him flying over the waiting metal man.

Robin soared through the air crashing into the earth a few feet back and Cyborg spared no time as he took his place in the fight, charging in like a bull while wildly throwing hooks at the calculated killer. He ducked under each swing as he repositioned behind the metal man and swung his greatsword. Metal met metal but no blood was shed. Simple swipes against the cybernetic human proved useless as his attacks were stopped cold by the heavy plate comprising most of Cyborg's body.

The two traded ineffective blows as Robin returned to the fight, positioning himself behind the iron-clad brother. He leapt into the air to land a heavy metal boot on his hooded head but before he could make contact Jesse again ducked beneath one of Cyborg's swings and pushed, lining up the lumbering hulk of metal with Robin's heel as it came crashing down on his head. The impact sent Cyborg into the ground with a heavy thud. Robin gave no pause to the mistake as he used his ally as a spring board to launch him toward his adversary beginning a new assault against him. One strike after the other failed to hit its mark as the man moved with nearly equal agility. Robin wheeled forward onto his hands and sprung into hard dive kick but again the man ducked out of the way before attempting his own counter-attack, swinging his blade at the acrobat. Robin swiftly leapt over his attacker revealing an enraged Cyborg charging at him. He yelled as he threw his heavy hook but Jesse dodged to the side. The metal fist found its home in Robin's stomach, knocking the wind out of the boy wonder and causing him to stumble a few steps.

"Dammit Cyborg, check your aim!"

Robin barked. Cyborg growled back in response.

"Take your own advice you spiked haired asshole!"

Robin glared back at an enraged Cyborg, a strange overwhelming feeling of resentment coursing through his veins and causing his blood to boil. After a moment the towering metal man began to charge at him. Cyborg swung violently, his technique long forgotten in his hate-fueled fury. Robin dodged expertly, his own rage building as he leapt a few steps back. Robin's glare deepened as he drew yet another bo staff from the pocket of his jacket. Robin was all but ready to begin his own assault when a sound pierced his mind.

'Richard!'

Robin's eyes went wide and he winced at the sudden pain racking his head. He placed a hand against his right temple as if attempting to steady his mind but found it continued to swirl madly. As Cyborg charged he managed to regain some semblance of awareness just in time to dodge again, moving a few paces further to give him more time to assess what was going on.

'Richard! Snap out of it!'

The voice echoed through his mind a second time and after a moment he recognized the even yet tender voice he'd grown so attached to.

'Raven?'

He thought to himself, running a shaking hand through his jet black hair.

'Jesse's manipulating you. He's trying to turn you against each other.'

Robin blinked and looked at his cybernetic ally with new eyes, reopened and now understanding what was taking place. Cyborg continued to glare at him like a mindless dog as he prepared his next strafing run.

'I can't help Cyborg, you need to. . . .'

Robin leapt again as Cyborg sprinted beneath him, a failed attempt to tackle. Robin thought a moment on Raven's interrupted thought before acting on it.

"Cyborg, snap out of it! He's messing with your head!"

Cyborg growled with even more rage as he turned back to Robin. A primal yell erupted from him as he charged again toward the boy wonder. Robin stood his ground this time holding his staff horizontally as Cyborg clashed into it, taking hold of the ends with his own hands. The two stood at an impasse as robin shouted again.

"I'm not the enemy! Remember who we're fighting for! Think about Raven!"

Those words seemed to stir something in him as he winced, his strength drawn for a second. Robin used the moment to his advantage to push Cyborg back a few steps. As he stumbled he clutched his head between his hands, shaking as he fell to one knee. Robin had hit the right nerve, but his small victory was short lived as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. In the flash of a second Robin stood between Jesse and Cyborg, his staff vertically deflecting Jesses attempted stab at Cyborg. Using the momentum of the sideways block the young half-demon swung his blade around before it halted again on Robin's staff as they clashed for strength. Robin shoved him back a few steps as they broke and Robin looked back at Cyborg, who was now panting from the immense mental fortitude it took to right himself. He heard him mutter a quiet 'Thanks' under his breath before Robin returned to the task at hand.

Robin began striking at his opponent, each jab and swipe being met with the harsh clang of metal. Robin pushed him back with each attack until he finally attempted another counter. He spun with the momentum of his block before attempting to swipe at Robin's chest. As his cold steel came close Robin ducked down below the swing. Behind him, Jesse caught sight of Cyborg standing with his cannon ready to fire.

"Booyah."

He had no time to defend and the sonic blast rang out as it hit him square in the face knocking him off his feet. Robin was quick to reach the side of their downed opponent before placing one final strike against the man with the end of his staff, knocking him out entirely. Robin sighed heavily as Cyborg stepped up beside him, his eyes fixated on their now unconscious foe.

After a few seconds movement on the horizon caught the attention of the young titans. The black curtain that surrounded the city began to lift up in one corner, slowly tearing its way skyward. Genuine smiles lit upon their features as they stared in anticipation. As more and more of the field slipped away only darkness seemed to persist beyond the veil. Cyborg knit his brow in confusion as he lifted his arm, tapping the interface to display a clock.

'9:43 a.m.'

He looked back up to the horizon, even further confused and concerned. He studied the edge of the city, trying to make out anything beyond the shadows but found it empty. The mountains that once bordered the city were nowhere to be found. He followed the tear upward as his breathing became slightly more erratic, telling his worried state.

"Cyborg what is it?"

He shook his head.

"There's no mountains. There's no stars. . . ."

He froze as his eyes lit upon a piece of rock floating in the middle of the sky. Atop it was black dying tree rooted in place, a few ominous dark birds nesting on its branches. That's when it all clicked. He shook his head again.

"I don't think we're on Earth anymore."

*clap*

The sound reverberated through the empty street cutting through the thick air like a well sharpened blade.

*clap*

Another booming sound finally drew the attention of the titans as they turned about to find the eldest brother slow clapping as he stepped towards them, stopping a few feet away.

"Bravo. I'm surprised it took you so long."

Robin grit his teeth immediately, the vivid picture of Jacob standing with his hand clenched tight, the foul sound of Raven's bones buckling under his power. He attempted to lunge at the demon but Cyborg barely caught him, holding him back. Jacob chuckled running a cold chill down his spine as he watched.

"For a 'White Knight' you sure do have a short temper. It's too bad you can't use that anger to protect daddy's little betrayer."

As he finished a sudden rush of movement caught his attention. A dark object flew through the air and dropped to the ground just outside of the parking garage. As robin strained his eyes to see what had happened a figure crept into view, bearing the black armor of the brothers. It was then robin started to notice the dark object was moving and attempting to stand. His heart seized within his chest as the pale face of his closest friend came became clear. From such a distance he could see very little of the emotion on her face but through the bond he felt the faintest tugs of absolute fear. He watched, immobilized, as she finally scrambled to her feet before Jared grabbed her by the hair and started pushing her toward the group. She stumbled across the asphalt, her legs wobbling and one arm wrapped around her ribs while the other tried to alleviate the pain on her scalp though to no avail. It was obvious not only by the weakened state of their bond but by the way she seemed to move that she'd taken a beating, her power well onto working its magic in mending whatever wounds she'd accumulated.

As they finally reached them, stopping a few paces behind Jacob, Jared shoved raven into the ground where she collapsed and grunted in pain. Robin winced at the sight and finally felt his muscles contract as he tried to press forward but the steady hand of cyborg kept him still. He grit his teeth at the brothers, rage continuing to build within him. Jacob just smirked and chuckled again.

"While watching you struggle to delay the inevitable has been fun, it's time we move on to the final act."

Jacob glanced behind the two remaining titans when robin recognized footsteps from behind him. He turned just in time for Jesse to step between them, knocking shoulders as he moved to stand beside his brothers. Robin continued to glare daggers at the men but Jacob seemed to relish the anger. Jacob nodded to Jared who quickly gripped raven by her hair, yanking her head up. The eldest brother then returned his gaze to the titans leader.

"Do try to be careful. Father would hate for his trophies to be broken."

As soon as he finished speaking the ground beneath them opened up in a dark portal. They began to fall into the ground and Robin ignored his cryptic words to sprint towards them. It was no use as they phased beneath the asphalt before he could reach them, falling on his knees and punching at the ground with his rage. He sat there a moment, seething with a flurry of thoughts ranging from self-blame and sorrow to blind hatred for the half-demon brothers. It wasn't until he felt a tap on his shoulder that he returned to reality. He looked up into the concerned face of Cyborg who's eyes were fixed on the horizon. Robin trailed his gaze to a sea of red eyes, glowing with demonic power. In the thick of their fighting they'd failed to realize the mind-controlled citizens of jump city had begun to converge around them.

"We got trouble man."

Cyborg readied his sonic cannon as robin stood up beside him. He glanced around at the zombified pedestrians.

"We need to get Raven back."

Cyborg cast a sideways glance at him, some mixture of confusion and panic induced anger thick on his features.

"Man, we don't even know where they took her!"

Robin closed his eyes and the sight of his nightmares flashed in his mind. The brimstone cathedral, so vivid in his mind. It sat amidst the ruin of the end of the world along the long path to the harbor of souls where his dearest friend had been hidden away. His eyes snapped open.

"I know where to go."

He said as quickly as the words came to his mind. Cyborg looked at him again but saw a look of realization on his face.

"Alright then, lead the way."

Robin nodded before pulling a staff out and sprinting off in the direction of the old public library.

—-

He knelt on the precipice of the large chasm. The wind picking up his long black cloak as he surveyed the haunting scene. He was looking for anything, a sign of what had happened. Had the city been blown up during the skirmish on the watchtower? No. The cut lines that marked the hole where a city had been lacked the mar of a bomb and there was no debris in the heart of the gorge. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted something. A streak of yellow light. He stood up following the persisting trail before shouting.

"Kid!"

The single word brought the movement to a halt. A young man stood afar from him, a terror in his eyes as he gazed back at the dark knight. Another moment and he stood before the Gotham legend.

"Mr. Batman. What are you doing here?"

He silenced the young man with his hand.

"Tell me everything."


	22. The Cathedral

The two heroes made their way through the familiar foreboding arches beneath the city. Robin's mind was scattered with the ever increasing possibility of losing his dark companion. Inklings of what he'd seen in their nightmares creeped through his thoughts threatening to break his resolve. He managed to keep the paralyzing fear at bay for now focusing on the path ahead of him.

"So you really think they brought Raven back down here?"

Cyborg, however, had a different idea of how to pass the time. Robin sighed heavily having no desire to relive his memories to provide an answer. He knew he owed his close friend a proper explanation of what they were heading into but the thought alone of reimagining the visions to provide an answer made him cringe. He swallowed hard before he spoke.

"They took her to the cathedral."

It was the simplest answer he could give and even those few short words seemed to bleed the images of scorched stone, fire and an air of burning flesh. The horrifying scents and scenes made him physically recoil and wince. The influx of emotional responses overwhelmed him. He wished he could be back at the tower, able to retreat into the safety of his own room to avoid the constant questions of his comrades that would inevitably bring reminders of the heartache and horror he still may have to endure. Was this, perhaps, how Raven felt so frequently with her own rampant emotions? Suddenly Robin felt he understood the dark sorceress far better.

Cyborg only allowed Robin a short reprieve from his thoughts before beginning his search for answers anew.

"Cathedral?"

Robin's mind flashed with the tall broken pillars holding up what little of the ruined roof had survived that terrible day. The dark stone of the crumbling walls coated with soot and ash surrounded him as he'd searched hell-bent on finding earth's last hope in one of his closest friends.

"I saw it in the nightmare. This path leads to a cathedral. It's where I found raven when. . ."

Robin's words trailed off as he remembered the terrified expression of the little girl he found. His hands began to tremble and a tear formed beneath his mask. She hadn't deserved all she'd gotten. He'd fought through the depths of hell searching for the strong young woman he'd come to know and it nearly shattered him to see her so weak, so afraid, so vulnerable. He shook his head and tightened his grip into fists at the thought. He wanted to protect that young girl but he had to remember. This was the same girl who was literally born to the bringer of hell but still she stood above it all. She held onto the good in life with all her strength and she had the heart to hope for more. Against all odds and in the face of the incarnation of evil itself she fought... and she won. He had to keep going, he had to be strong and believe it would be alright because he knew, despite it all, she would.

'I'll come back to you'

His own words echoed in his mind bringing the shadow of a smile to his face.

"Look man, I know you probably don't want to relive it and I get that, but I'm flying into this blind. I need to know what we're running into."

It was clear Robin wasn't painting a clear enough picture of the scenario. Robin mustered his new-found determination in his response though the words that formed still terrified him.

"In the nightmare they take her to this cathedral and they... crucify and kill her."

He'd seen the terrible events transpire so many times but somehow saying it out loud seemed to make it real. Without a conscious effort his pace quickened on the path to the dark bird.

Cyborgs mouth dropped open as he interpreted Robin's short explanation. He'd expected nothing short of awful but crucifixion seemed to stand a measure beyond anything he could have imagined.

"Holy shit."

He muttered quietly to himself. Robin shook the memory out of his head as it tried to play out on the closed lids of his eyes between blinks.

"Exactly. We need to get there soon."

Cyborg didn't need to be told twice as the two quickened their pace again.

"Alright, so how much further is it?"

The hallway gave way to a massive stone cavern stretching upwards until the darkness consumed every ounce of light. The tail end of cyborgs question started to echo through the underground canyon.

"It's on the other side of this chasm."

As he finished his sentence a piercing scream echoed through the canyon. Robin's heart raced at the terrifying sound only beating faster as he recalled the familiar voice it came from. He immediately broke into a sprint down the stone steps toward the frozen river below. Cyborg followed quickly after him.

'Just hang in there Rae. . .'

—

"Daddy's little girl."

The words boomed out through the open void, echoing back from dead stars lost in an age long since passed. Raven could feel the haunting vibrations of his voice, all too familiar to her mind once plagued by nightmares of her fathers coming. She fearfully cracked her eyes open, expecting the harsh fires of hell but instead found the eerie cold of the void.

"My betrayer, you will pay dearly."

His voice rang out again, repeating in her ears as it echoed across the darkened expanse of her mind. The words elicited an internal growl of anger from rage as she grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Looking up at the black sky and mustering her strength she shouted back.

"What? Are you upset 'Trigon The Terrible' was put down by his own half-blooded daughter!?"

The ground beneath her quaked as a boisterous roar filled the thick air, shaking her to her very core. Raven could sense the rising anger of her father as her own blood began to boil within her veins. The fiery heat that permeated her flesh quickly grew unbearable forcing her to sink to her knees as she trembled. Her hands quickly covered her ears in an attempt to block out the ever booming sound of her father's voice.

"You wretched insignificant little girl, you are not worthy of my blood!"

As he shouted one of her arms was ripped from her head to stand straight out. She watched in confusion for a moment until a sharp pain stung from the center of her wrist causing her to wince. She frantically tried to tear her arm away but found the pain in her wrist only grew with each attempt at freeing herself. A few more seconds passed before her other arm quickly fell to the same fate being pulled to her side and a pain equal in measure engulfing her small wrist. Red eyes appeared in the sky before her and she increased her struggle against her unseen constraints.

"For your actions, I have no choice but to take back my mark. Your brother has proven to be a far better servant. Goodbye, dear daughter."

In a flash the eyes and voice were gone. Even the distant stars that had scarcely scattered the sky seemed to lose their light and replaced the display with complete darkness. She tried to blink but found her eyes heavy as though they'd already been closed. She waited a moment confused by the strange sensation when she heard a loud ringing noise from her left side followed by another one on her right. The pain that had emanated from her wrists began to throb in time with the now rhythmic ringing and she willed her eyes to open.

Her vision filled with a dark and damaged mural embedded high in the ceiling above her. It's intricacies were long lost to time and lack of care but they clearly depicted some sort of biblical scene. The constant pain in her wrists lead her to defer her gaze to the side where she found her arms stretched out atop a thick wooden beam. On either end, a dark armored man stood pounding away at stakes placed in her wrists.

She recalled her dream and nearly gasped as she recognized what was happening. She made an attempt to struggle but only hurt herself further. The ringing she'd heard before fell again as the two brothers pounded at the stakes. The old iron had rent her flesh and bone in two and she felt the full brunt of the pain in that second as she screamed in agony.

"How good of you to join us."

Beyond her pained tears her eyes fell upon the cold hard features of Jacob, a disturbing grin plastered to his face.

"I was beginning to think you'd sleep through all the fun."

The two other brothers stood up and placed hands on the wooden beam before slowly lifting it off the ground. The movement combined with her weight pulling on the barbaric tether caused her flesh to rip before catching on bone to support her. She internalized her scream as the pain racked her body and the beam was lifted into place on the cross. The brothers began work on securing the beam in place as Jacob approached her.

"I can't wait to watch fathers first born squirm like the worthless worm she is."

She pushed through her agony with gritted teeth before spitting at Jacob and hitting him square in the face. He recoiled violently from the action, wiping the spit from his face.

"You wretched bitch. I can't wait to tear his mark from you!"

He shouted and lashed out a hand ccross her face, the metal gauntlet cutting through her pale flesh. The brothers finished their work securing the beam and moved away. As the did Raven felt a slight warmth begin to build from beneath her skin as though a fire had been set in her veins. She stomached her torment and kept her eyes trained on Jacob. He too stepped back a pace before lifting his hood over his head and floating into the air. The burning in her flesh grew exponentially as Jacob began chanting in some unrecognizable language. Her thoughts were so focused on withstanding the excruciating anguish that her mind could not hope to interpret the words. As the moments passed and her boiling skin began to crawl she looked down to find the inscriptions of her birthmark lighting upon her skin almost as brightly as the day she'd ended the world. The marks burned like a brand as they began to rip through her flesh like a wire through clay. The markings started to split her skin as they left her body to circle round about her captor. The pain only grew more immense and unbearable until darkness finally overtook her vision and her other senses were shutdown by exhaustion.

—

*Crack*

The door shattered open and the two brothers looked to find a young man sprinting down between the pews, a bowstaff extended in his hands. Each readied their swords in preparation of the fight to defend their eldest brother but were surprised when the man tilted his polearm down into the ground at the last second vaulting over them. With the vertical distance he gained they could do nothing but watch as he flew past them and planted the solid steel of his boot-heel to the side of Jacob's head. His body collapsed to the side of the alter, a strange combination of red glowing marks following him.

As the man landed the brothers prepared to charge when a blast of blue light hit the ceiling between them dislodging the old stone ceiling and blocking the path to the cross. They turned their sights to the large metal man standing in the doorway, his sonic cannon still charged for another shot.

"Raven!"

The Robin shouted as he quickly approached the cross, the sound of sonic cannon fire and clanging swords playing out behind him. Robin stepped up to the cross taking on the state of his friend hanging limply from the wooden structure. Her breathing was shallow and erratic and blood ran down her arms staining her grey shirt with a sheen of crimson. A line of blood ran across her face up to cut on her brow and the corner of her nose. The sight made his skin crawl and his anger rage within him but as she slowly opened her eyes the feeling fleeted.

"Raven!"

He stepped closer a pace trying to move into her view. She managed to lift her eyes to him and he saw the torment deep with her lilac pools. Another stray shot of sonic energy hit the ceiling causing more of the roof to collapse somewhere behind him snapping Robin back to the time sensitive nature of their mission. He glanced up at either of her arms noting the rusty iron spikes that kept her to the cross. He grimaced at the sight and his heart sank a few leagues deeper. Looking back to her he gave a sorrowful look as if to say 'I'm sorry'. He wrapped one arm around her legs to remove the weight from the iron spikes before pulling out his grappling hook to shoot at the first stake. Once it securely wrapped around the ancient metal he gave it a hard yank. Raven's eyes shot fully open and she screamed out in pain as the stake ripped out of her wrist spraying the air with more of her precious blood. Robin spared no time as he repeated the motion on her other side and she fell completely into his arms. For a moment he just hugged her tight wishing he could console her in that moment. The sound of a sonic cannon going off behind him again reminded him to cut short as he scooped her legs up with one arm and swiftly carried her around the rubble and toward the exit. As he passed the on going battle Cyborg let out a sustained beam of sonic energy to fully compromise the ceiling. The stone began to collapse he turned to follow his companions, content with his efforts.

The two ran as quickly as they could down the icy scar then through the old catacombs before finally reaching the surface. As they stepped out of the front door of the old library the dim light of the street lamps illuminated just enough for the titans to see two figures standing and waiting for them.

"Did you honestly think a few old stones would stop us? You can't outrun us."

Cyborg grit his teeth then glanced back at Robin for a moment and nodded eliciting a look of confusion on Robin's face. It was clear he had no idea what he was about to do. Turning back around he spoke.

"Who said anything about outrunning?"

Cyborg pressed a button on his arm and the streetlights cut out. Very quickly the rest of the city was bathed in darkness as cyborg triggered a city-wide outage. The brothers scrambled, unsure what to do in the pitch darkness, they're senses not as keen as a trained empath. Cyborg scooped up his fellow titans and expertly navigated the site with his infrared sensors escaping quietly into the night.


	23. Cherry Tree

Warmth. It was all she could feel encompassing her weary body. The sensation soothed her tired muscles and calmed her scattered mind. An eye amid the terrible storm she'd been weathering. Despite the great fatigue that plagued her body it seemed her mind desired to wake. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she drew in a long breath and released it. To great surprise her vision was met with the familiar void of her mindscape. The endless expanse of stars stretched thin across the sky.

She sat up taking in her surroundings, marveling at the strange warmth it seemed to offer her. She'd visited her plane of Nevermore a countless number of times but never had she felt this sort of comfort from it. She began to study the scene more carefully trying to find anything different about her normally cold and foreboding mind. Her eyes fell over the floating rocks and blackened trees, no doubt that it was indeed _her_ Nevermore. However to her astonishment she noted something unfamiliar. A singular tree in the distance seemed to carry a collection of uncharacteristic flowers. It drew a vague similarity to a Japanese cherry tree blooming for the first time in its season. It was beautiful, unlike anything she'd ever seen in _her_ Nevermore.

That's when she noticed it. Standing beside the tree stood a thin figure in a white cloak. Her thoughts drifted to explaining the clearly feminine figure away as one of her emoticlones but she'd only ever seen her true self in white. Confusion drove her to stand and she noted the woman clearly stood taller than her as well. Raven began to cautiously approach the figure trying to find any clue to who she might be but even as she stopped a few feet away she could find nothing save for a vague sense of familiarity toward them. After a few moments of consideration she finally spoke.

"Who are you?"

The figure seemed unperturbed by the sudden sound of her voice as if she knew she'd be there. The woman began tilting her head in the direction of the young empath. Raven watched closely but when the woman's hood would have revealed enough to betray a face a great white light obscured her features and blinded Raven. She shielded her eyes from the extreme contrast as the woman spoke.

"Rachel."

The strangely distorted voice echoed through the great expanse of her mind. Confusion ran deep as she struggled to understand the striking familiarity she felt from the mysterious woman. Her thoughts eventually fixated on the name they'd called her pushing her through the painful contrast of the light. She unshielded her eyes and as she did the light seemed to fade away revealing the familiar face of the figure before her. Her eyes immediately went wide at the sight.

"Mother?"

Arella turned to fully face her child and gave a simple nod. Raven couldn't help but leave her mouth agape at the unexpected sight of her mother standing before her. All conscious thought went out the window as she ran and threw her arms tightly around her. Arella returned the gesture in kind, hugging her daughter as close as she could.

"Mother, I've missed you."

Arella smiled and pulled back from their embrace, both still holding onto each other's arms as they looked at one another.

"And I, you."

Raven let a large smile spread across her lips as she tried all she could to keep tears from streaming down her face. She'd longed to see her mother again ever since the day she'd found out about her terrible fate at the hands of Trigon. A part of her had never fully accepted it either but seeing her there, within the confines of her own mind, only proved what she'd known to be true.

Despite the combination of despair and joy that threatened to crack her composure she couldn't help but wonder why her mother would appear to her. Breaking the brief silence she asked,

"Mother, what are you doing here?"

Arella's smile soured slightly with a bit of sorrow before she turned back to face the void.

"Given all that's happened recently, I needed to see you. To warn you."

Arella shut her eyes, clearly reliving some painful memory. Perhaps she'd seen what had befallen her dear daughter. Raven looked on awaiting her continued explanation.

"Your half-brother, Jacob, has stolen your birthmark and with it is one step closer to summoning your father back to the plane of mortality."

A heavy stroke of fear immediately descended upon her shoulders.

"I thought it was over. I beat him, I banished him!"

Raven stammered out but Arella just sighed.

"You did. You banished him. The mark, however, lays dormant. Able to be used again by whomever wields it."

"Then how do we stop him?"

Arella looked deeper into the void as if it possessed the answers to her questions.

"The final requirement is the will of the eldest child."

Arella turned her head to finally look at raven again.

"You."

Raven quirked her brow in confusion.

"Me?"

Arella nodded.

"As the eldest living child of Trigon you hold dominion over his greatest powers. A gate keeper in a way. So long as you remain the eldest child and your will stands unfailingly against your father then the mark cannot be used."

Raven's mind filled with understanding. Her life and will were all that stood between mortality and complete destruction. A scenario she was all too familiar with though this time she wasn't the instrument of destruction, Jacob was. The fear she felt continued to fester as she remembered her first confrontation with the iron clad warrior. The sound of cracking bones resounded in her mind and she shuddered.

"Mother, how can we hope to defeat them? They're stronger than I am and they've spent their whole lives training to fight!"

Arella offered a somber smile.

"My child, the Azar chose the path of an empath for you because it would give you great control. Your abilities may be different but you possess far greater power than them. Know that without the mark you have lost the last tether to your father and you will have the capacity to use your powers more freely than ever before. You can defeat them and you will."

Arella placed a hand on Raven's shoulder as an offering of comfort.

"My time is spent but you still have yours. I know you will endure as you always have, my child."

The two embraced again, Raven struggling to hold back tears. Arella spoke again as they parted.

"Now go. You have a world to save."

Raven offered a small smile to her mother before she spoke once more.

"Besides, I've heard from a girl in a purple cloak there may be someone waiting for you."

Raven's face reddened ever so slightly and Arella giggled at her response. After a moment she spoke again.

"I love you, Rachel."

"I love you too."

With that Raven closed her eyes and her body drifted into the void.

—-

Even as she floated through the darkness the warmth never left her. If anything as she neared the surface of her consciousness it seemed to surround her even more. When feeling finally returned to her body she felt a thin but soft blanket draped messily across her body and finger tips loosely pulling through her soft hair, lightly massaging her scalp. The emotions she felt through the physical contact were unmistakable. Always the calming cool of his thoughts mixed with the perfectly contrasting heat of his skin to hers. She shivered slightly at the sensations and she could sense a feeling of concern surface in Robin's mind.

It was impossible to know how long she'd slept but she was sure it had been long enough. She opened her eyes and quickly took in her surroundings. She was laying on her side atop the makeshift bed of their hideout with her head supported in the boy wonders lap as he ran tantalizing fingers through her lilac hair. Despite the wonderful and relaxing feeling of his musings she felt the need to sit up. She moved her free arm out in front of her to push herself up but the instant she put pressure on the palm of her hand she remembered the stakes that had been driven through her wrists. She withdrew her hand to her chest with a quiet whimper of pain. Robin was startled by the sound of her pained gasp.

"Raven!"

Robin quickly leaned forward to see what had happened. Raven took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at the masked boy wonder with a weak smile, wincing in time with her throbbing wrists. Robin offered a somber smile and helped her to sit upright to his left as she leaned against the wall with him.

Raven inspected her messily wrapped wounds but she could feel Robin's intense gaze of concern burning into her side. She ignored it for the moment as she studied the stark white bandages wrapped hap-hazardously from the heel of her palm to about a third up her arm. The pure white color of the fabric told her the garment was recently changed and her wounds were no longer bleeding. The messy but well intentioned wrapping led her to believe that robin had been the one taking care of her. She smiled to herself at the thought.

"So. . . How are you feeling?"

The sudden words tore raven from her mind and she glanced over at the dark knights ward for a moment before returning her eyes to her wrists and scoffing.

"Like shit."

Were it not for the dead pan of her voice it would be clear to tell the words were meant as a joke but when Raven glanced back and noticed Robin's saddened face hanging a bit lower she realized just how distasteful the joke had been. She quickly placed a hand over his, gingerly grasping his fingers as she spoke.

"But I'm still here because of you."

Raven leaned forward trying to force her face into his frame of view. It worked as Robin glanced up at her and offered a half smile, still lost in his own self hatred.

"They shouldn't have been able to get to you in the first place. I'm sorry. . . ."

Robin looked back down at his lap again though his thumb began to lightly trace the fingers holding onto his hand. Raven shook her head and offered a sad smile.

"It's not all bad."

Raven said softly. The strange statement peaked Robin's interest as he looked up to her with an eyebrow cocked in confusion. Raven began to explain.

"The ritual they performed removed my birthmark. . . The last anchor between me and my father."

Robin's brain tried to wrap itself around her words but still fell short.

"I thought you were already free after you banished him?"

Raven shook her head.

"His influence was lessened but I could still feel his rage inside of me. I still had to be careful. Now it's like I finally have full control of my emotions. I feel... free."

Robin smiled a bit but quickly returned to a pensive state.

"I still don't fully understand. We saw what they intended in your visions, why would they do something that would help you?"

Raven sat a quiet moment as she carefully pieced together her next words and focused her gaze on the white bandage of her left wrist in her lap.

"Because it helped them too. They need the mark to summon Trigon again."

Raven glanced to her right to see Robin's eyes narrowed in further confusion but this time there was a flame of fear illuminating them as well. Raven looked back to her lap and continued.

"My birthmark is somehow tied to the summoning spell but it can only be used by the eldest living child. Which is currently me."

The two sat in silence for a long moment, Robin wrapping his thoughts around the new knowledge to digest it while Raven did her best not to be swallowed by fear herself. She was surprised when she heard Robin speak.

"I won't let that happen. I won't let them hurt you again."

Raven looked to Robin again to see his eyes trained on her with a fiery determination seething through his skin. even still she could sense a small amount of trembling in his hands and she tightened her grip on his fingers as much as she could to comfort him.

"I know."

Robin offered her a weak smile. It was clear how much he wanted to protect her but she could feel the fear and uncertainty racking his soul. What if he failed? What if she died under his protection? What if the end came again and this time there really was no hope? The perpetuating downward spiral of thoughts and questions consumed his mind until he could support the feelings no more. His exhaustion started to overtake him as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Raven noticed it quickly and attempted to change the subject of conversation with a question.

"When's the last time you slept?"

Robin attempted to blink the tiredness out of his eyes.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Robin smirked at the dark sorceress for a moment before his eyelids began to falter to gravity once again. He began to waiver and fall forward but Raven caught him, placing his forehead against hers. She smiled at his trademark overprotective and stubborn nature, not too unlike herself. Raven closed her eyes enjoying the calm and peaceful moment together. With their close proximity she couldn't help but breathe in his scent that had become so familiar to her over the last few months. The nearly intoxicating aroma reminded her of the many peaceful and calming moments they'd shared over the course of their friendship.

Every interaction seemed to draw them closer and she nearly depended on his calm emotions to be her rock in the storm of life. It seemed so natural to be so close to him. A strange thought for the normally distant young sorceress. The next few seconds seemed just as natural to her though she was sure she heard one of her emoticlones shouting in the background of her mind. Without a second thought, Raven tilted her head upward and her ashen lips gingerly met his. She was immediately surprised by how soft his lips were on hers adding to the already euphoric experience. It took a few seconds for Robin's sleep-deprived brain to understand what was happening but as soon as he did he tilted his head into the tender kiss as well

The passionate moment only lasted a few seconds but ended when Raven's mind finally caught back up to her. She tore herself away with a mad blush beginning to form on her cheeks. Her mind warred with itself with half of her emoticlones claiming she'd done nothing wrong while the other half scolded her for kissing her leader. When she finally managed to silence them enough to think she looked back at Robin expecting to see a confused and shocked look but instead found a large grin stuck on his full lips. His eyes remained closed as his body had finally given up on trying to keep them open but it was clear to Raven that Robin was fully aware of what had just happened. Her blush only deepened at the bizarre idea that her leader and best friend enjoyed the interaction. She wasn't allowed much time to overthink it as Robin's body wavered again and began to fall away from her. This time she was unable to stop his descent but aided in slowing it down so he laid gently down on the old mattress. Raven smiled at his now clearly sleeping form and resigned herself to figuring out her emotions later. She adjusted the blanket at her feet to cover her and Robin as she laid next to him, her head resting on his rhythmically rising and falling chest.


End file.
